The Happenstance Vacation
by MoonlightSonata87
Summary: Fresh out of college Serena and the girls decide that a singles cruise is just the way to start out their new lives. Considering a job in London Serena's looking for a reason to stay in her home town... more inside! D/S
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I've been tapping away at this for some time and I think I have a few story twists in mind that will keep me interested. This is a Darien/Serena fic all the way. Throw in a few other love interests for jealousy and drama and I have a winer. Let me know! **REVIEW!**

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Fresh out of college Serena and the girls decide that a singles cruise is just the way to start out their new lives. Considering a job in London Serena's looking for a reason to stay in her home town and hopes that maybe, she'll meet someone on the cruise worthy of her time. Little does she know she's about to find him. D/S

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The Happenstance Vacation

1

Bon Voyage

Sitting in our favorite booth at the arcade I smile at my friends who are pouring over the details of our group vacation. One week; one week and we'll be on a giant cruise-liner going to Europe and the Mediterranean. It's so very exciting I can hardly contain myself. The best part? It's a singles cruise! Oh yeah, look out gorgeous hunks of the world Serena Tsukino is on her way!

I can't wait, I'm young, blonde, fresh out of college, and going on a singles cruise to meet eligible bachelors. Surely someone's going to take an interest in me. I've heard from far too many lusty men that I'm a knock out. Are you ready for the description? Okay, I'm a towering, lofty, impressive five foot three… so, okay, I'm not so tall. All of my friends seem to be taller than me which sucks, but that's okay because good things come in small packages. As I mentioned before I'm blonde, it's a golden blonde which accents my sparkling cerulean blue eyes. I wear my hair in an odd fashion I guess, two buns and pigtails which won me the nickname meatball head. I have a heart-shaped face and a rocking body. That's right! You heard it here first! Serena Tsukino is happy with her body. I have a flat, toned tummy, a nice and round bubble butt, you know the one all the girls want? Attached to that are my shapely legs that look longer than they are, and finally, my C cupped chest. I have no idea how I managed to pull those two nice assets out of the gene bag but I did. What can I say?

"What are you doing Meatball head? Earth to Serena!" My friend snapped at me, her lavender eyes fixing on mine. "Can you pause the inner dialogue for just one moment so we can finalize our room plans?" She pushed a few locks of her raven hair out of her face. Though I'm happy with myself I've always been a little jealous of Raye. She's model material for sure. She's five seven and is just a knock out woman.

"I have to agree Serena. I think it's important that we figure this out there's five of us and three rooms. Who's rooming with whom and who's getting their own room?" Amy, ah, sweet little Amy. The woman's an absolute genius! She already has her MD, and at twenty two it's pretty impressive. I only know of one other person who managed that feat. Anywho, Amy has blue hair, a little bizarre but it grows on you, besides, it matches her dark blue eyes. She came from England a few years back and has a soft voice with the English accent. Out of all of us Amy is by far the most timid.

"Are you kidding me? Ames, Mina's getting her own room. Pure and simple!" Lita cried, her green eyes begging for agreement. "I don't want to be subjected to her beauty sleep rituals." We all groan in unison as Mina sits a little taller in her seat. Lita is a tall Amazonian looking woman. Her long brown hair is always pulled up and more than a few men have accused her of being a lesbian because of her rough nature.

Mina on the other hand looks a lot like me, she's taller and looks a little ore lanky than I do but she's beautiful nonetheless. She wears her hair half up and half down. She ties the up part with a big red bow. "Sounds good to me! Besides, I don't want you all to interrupt any visits I may have from male friends." She winked and leaned back in her seat. "I wonder how many will want me?"

"Before your make-up or after?" Raye smirked as Mina turned a brilliant red as she scrunched up her face. "Anyways, I want to room with you Lita. Meatball head snores and I don't want to disturb Amy."

"That was easy then. See you didn't need me." I smiled and returned my attention to the milkshake that had magically appeared during the conversation. Looking over at Andrew I smiled as he waved. A sigh escaped my lips as he went back to cleaning up the counter. Andrew, oh, how I love him. He's so damn cute, and sensitive, and… taken. I remind myself as his girlfriend walks in. "I hope I'll find some hot guys like Andrew." I say out loud and hear a chorus of coos.

"Yeah, he's so dreamy." Lita mused and rested her chin in her hands as she watched him wipe down the counter. "If I could just get my hands on him once I'd…"

"Lita, not here." Amy warned and quickly buried her nose in a book to avoid any potentially riské conversations. "You can have your hands on all sorts of men once you're on the cruise ship until then I suggest you keep your thoughts on productive things."

"Oh, that's productive…" I smile as Amy blushed and held the book a little closer to her face. The sound of the electronic bell sounding refocused my attention on my milkshake. I didn't have to look to know who it was who had entered the arcade. Every day at the very same time, the same person entered, walked five long strides and sat at the very same bar stool he always sat at.

"No, that's productive." Raye smiled, lust immediately filling her eyes. "I'd like to get my hands on that." She bit her lip and Lita then nodded her agreement.

"Why?" I sneered as hatefully as I could manage. I could easily see Raye and him as an item, they looked rather similar. He was tall, six foot three I think, he had raven black hair that fell just above his midnight blue eyes in a way that looked effortless. He had a strong jawline and looked fairly buff; okay, really buff. The guy takes care of himself.

"Oh please! How can you look at that and not want to do something about it?" Mina asked the same question every day, at the same time. "Ah Darien… you know his name means…"

"The gift." Raye, Lita, and even Amy sighed in unison.

"Yeah… well anyway, that's one gift I'd love to unwrap." Mina giggled. I simply rolled my eyes as the rest of the girls erupted in fits of giggles befitting a group of middle schoolers.

"Am I the only one here with any sense?" I asked and crossed my arms. How could they like that pompous jerk? "Honestly, ladies, there's a whole crop of men out there!"

"Maybe so, but I doubt very many are green enough for you to pick Meatball head." A male voice interrupted me. Oh, I knew that voice far too well.

"Hah! I've had the opportunity to pick all sorts of produce Jerk Face… not that it's any of your business." I snapped up at him and growled as he pulled a chair over to the booth and sat on it backwards, his strong arms resting on the back as he laughed.

"Sure you have Meatball head." He chuckled and looked at the girls who were gawking at him embarrassingly. "What are you ladies up to? I heard the good news of your graduations. Congrats." He looked at each one of the girls then paused on Amy who had practically dropped her book to pay attention to the new comer. "Especially you Amy. I may have to watch my job."

"Oh, no, I'll never be as good a doctor as you I'm sure. You're far more dedicated." Amy smiled and fingered the edges of her book nervously. I couldn't help but glare at him. He was such an ass! These people are my friends not his!

He then looked at Lita. "Then there's you Lita, opening up your own restaurant. I'm sure I'll be one of your repeat customers. I've heard you're quite the cook. Let's just not tell Andrew. I don't want him thinking his coffee is threatened." He winked at Lita who nodded her head furiously.

"Mina, aren't you staring your own fashion line?" She blushed and nodded slightly. "Fantastic. I don't have the creativity, as you can tell I'm pretty stuck on my own fashion trends." He wasn't kidding either. He wore the same ugly green jacket day in day out.

He then looked at Raye who practically melted in her seat. "I hear you're taking over the temple. I look forward to seeing what wonderful things your business degree brings."

Then he looked at me. Here it came, finally, maybe I would hear him say something nice to me for a change. "What did you major in again Meatball head?" I couldn't help it. I felt my jaw clench so tight I think my teeth cracked.

"Uh… Serena majored in marketing with a psychology minor and an international relations minor as well." Raye jumped in to help me.

"Two minors? I didn't think you had it in you." He smiled. "Pray tell, what are you going to do with that education? I don't think it links very well with video games or comic books." As he grinned at me with that self-satisfied grin I felt something snap within me. I was done. Done with him!

"I'm getting as far away from you as possible you self-serving son of a bitch!" I shouted and got out of the booth as quickly as possible. "I'll see you ladies later. I have to go pack!" I shouted and smacked him with my purse once for good measure making sure it looked like an accident.

I was out of the arcade so fast I don't think anyone had time to process what had just happened, much less myself. There were no two ways about it. I hated Darien Lee Shields! Who was he to talk to me like that? As I reached the park I realized I had tears streaming down my face.

Why? Dear lord why did I let his words affect me so much? Why was his opinion so goddamned important? Feeling angry and sad at the same time I took a few deep breaths and sat on a park bench. I had to clear my head. This encounter had certainly solidified one thing for me. I had to get away from here. This place, him, everything. I had been debating whether or not I was going to take a position in London and now it seemed so appealing.

"Serena!" I heard Amy calling for me and I turned to her. She was running towards me, her face looking panicked. "Serena, are you okay?" She sat beside me quickly. "Look, Darien's…"

"I don't want to talk about him. Not one bit. I've endured his abuse for too long. I don't want to deal with it any more, I'm done. I'm taking that job in London." I cried out and stood determinately. Looking back at Amy I saw a large frown on her face.

"That's a mistake Serena." She looked up at me and shook her head. "A big mistake."

"We'll see. For now I have the cruise. Suppose I can hold off on my decision until then." I sighed.

* * *

The ship was huge to say the least! I hadn't expected something nearly as big as the monstrosity in front of me but then again, what the hell did I know about sailing across the ocean? Wow, I felt myself smile as I imagined all the guys who would be on the ship. The girls looked just as excited as I felt, no doubt for the same reason. "This is going to be awesome!" I exclaimed and rushed towards our boarding gate.

Walking along the sturdy platform I felt myself getting giddy. This was going to be the best thing that had ever happened to me! Mina hurriedly rushed to my side and squeezed my arm in anticipation. "Oh my God Serena… I'm going to die." She smiled. "I mean, so much room for so many men."

"Calm down Mina. Seriously." I laughed as we stepped onto the deck where the crew was all lined up to greet us. Oh, these people knew what they were doing. All the employees, were dressed in sailor outfits, the women in short skirts and the men in those yummy little outfits. Every single one of those people were attractive too! "Okay, now you can get excited." I breathed as I noticed many of the men looking at us.

Mina soon abandoned my arm in exchange for finding an attractive man who offered to show her where her room was. _She sure works fast._ I rolled my eyes and turned to see Amy blushing as she hurried over to me.

"I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this any longer." She whispered to me, her blue eyes troubled. "I hadn't thought about it before but the statistical probability of being harmed in some way on this ship is…"

"Amy, please, don't finish that sentence." I warned and grabbed her arm so that we could find our room together. I knew I only had to follow Mina and her new friend but I wasn't so sure that was a good idea Mina had a tendency to work far too fast for my liking.

Amy and I found the room easily enough and began to unpack. We had a balcony room, the private little area allowed us to look out over the sea. Needless to say, it was beautiful. We waited in our room until the ship was well enough out so sea that people would hopefully be trying to find their rooms, then emerged.

As if on cue Amy grasp my arm in a death grip and pulled me to her in an attempt to hold onto me in the sea of people swarming the hallway. So much for it being less crowded! The hallway was packed with all sorts of people scrambling to find their rooms. Amy and I had to dodge luggage, squeeze through people, and jump over roller bags before finally making it out to the deck where it was empty and peaceful. "Oh! Dear heavens!" Amy gasp and held onto her chest tightly. "It's so crowded! Agoraphobia has been the least of my worries until now!"

"Amy, shut up. You're not afraid of people." I rolled my eyes and calmly walked to the front of the ship. It was huge and I couldn't help but want to hold my arms out like I was flying. Silly childhood fantasy but if I found someone maybe, just maybe we would do that very thing.

"I don't see the girls anywhere Serena." Amy seemed to almost sigh in defeat then looked at me sadly. "I don't think I'll like this trip."

For a moment, I almost agreed with her. I wasn't so sure myself now. There were a lot of people on board and how many people were here to just hook up and ditch others? A singles cruise? What was I thinking? Men on a singles cruise were only thinking about one thing and I'm not that kind of girl… I don't think.

"Well, we've lost Mina for the night." Lita suddenly stated and appeared beside me. "We'll be lucky if we see her at all until noon tomorrow." Lita turned her eyes on me for a moment then looked at Raye who was almost skipping towards us. "Should we all go to the dining room? I hear it's lunch time. Then tonight there's a singles dance party to start the cruise off right." Lita's eyebrows rose and fell quickly as if to seduce us all. "I say we all get dressed up and flaunt it!"

"I think I'll stay in tonight." Amy stated and looked down at the deck. "I have a good book calling my name." We all sighed at her but accepted her decision. This wasn't Amy's thing anyway.

Walking to the dining hall we all admired the detail of the ship. It was truly a sight to behold! Beautiful wood paneling lined the halls of the upper levels and the dining hall had large chandeliers hanging from an ornately carved ceiling. "Wow." I gasp out loud and blushed as I noticed my miniature outburst had drawn hungry eyes.

Ducking my head down I attempted to hide my face as we tried to find an open table. Like a panther Lita roamed the room and finally found a table close to the back wall. It wasn't the best spot but it was good enough.

Sitting down at the round table I sighed and l folded my hands neatly atop the perfectly folded green linen napkin. "This is nice I guess." I smiled and quickly looked for the buffet table. _Hey, I can't help it, everyone knows I have a bottomless pit for a stomach… and I'm not ashamed of it either!_

"There you go sniffing out the food. So what is it Lassie? Chicken?" Raye laughed with an evil grin. I hate her when she does that. Of course there's chicken!

"Chicken will most likely be involved, so, yes." I nodded coolly, my aloof attitude winning a smile from my close friends. "So, spotted any potential hotties at all?" I winked at Lita who nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, and after dinner I think I saw this thing that said there was a dance or something. I can hardly wait." She slapped her hands together and looked around eagerly making me roll my eyes. She had told us about the dance party before dinner. Obviously Lita was going to be miss forgetful for the duration of this trip.

As I moved about the dining hall I felt people staring at me, well, I felt men staring at me. Somehow I knew I would be a popular girl later on at the party. Then again, it would be a nice change from normality. Darien was always telling me how unattractive I was and oh, if he could see me now he would eat those words whole.

Dishing up my plate I quickly walked back to the table where the girls were already situated and waiting for me. Something in the way they looked at me with knowing smiles alarmed me. Sitting down I tried to ignore it. Whatever the game was, It was not my concern until they brought it up.

Dinner ended fairly unceremoniously. Disappointed, yet full I walked back to the room with Amy and began to search for my perfect clubbing outfit. I found it hiding in the bottom of my suitcase, the perfect little number to make all the boys' hearts pitter patter. Now giddy, I quickly changed and observed myself in the mirror, even without make up on I was hot. The mini dress I chose was white, and barely covered my ass. Of course I wore white booty shorts underneath but I was sure every guy was going to admire my shapely legs, especially because this particular dress clung to my ass so tightly. The top of the dress was looser and hung off one shoulder allowing the other to drop off exposing my bare skin, this let the boys imagine what I had on underneath. Nothing by the way, no bra needed.

"OH, is that what you're wearing Serena? Don't you think it's too… suggestive?" Amy asked with a whisper as if someone could hear her. I simply smiled at her and shrugged.

"I'm not suggesting anything Ames." I replied much to her disdain. She simply turned from me and grabbed her book. "I just want to dance tonight."

"If you go like that someone's going to drug you and rape you or something." Amy growled and snapped her book open to hide her face. The conversation was over. Sighing I applied some light make up and stepped into the hall to knock on Raye an Lita's door.

"Yeah… wow!" Raye gawked at me and did a slow once over. "Why, Serena, didn't think you had it in you. I bet there will be a few boys with broken hearts tonight." Raye winked as Lita came up and smirked.

"Yeah, and a few with broken noses. Are you sure you want to wear that? Don't you think you might catch some unwanted attention?" Lita pursued with a lift of her eyebrow. "I mean, you know?"

"I'm fine… are you two ready or what?" I'll admit, I was anxious, a little nervous, and all around giddy. The girls nodded and sulked into the hallway after me as I made my way to the dance hall. Even as we walked I felt eyes on me, this was beginning to be a real occurrence apparently.

* * *

"Oh, shit!" Andrew cried as he spotted a familiar blonde who happened to have her "fuck me" outfit on. "Shit shit shit shit shit!" He breathed and pushed through the crowd of people and to his friends. "Hey, Mal, we have a problem."

"Problem?" The tall silver haired man turned to Andrew and raised an eyebrow. "What type of problem?" His gray eyes scanned the room and fell on the group of women in question. "Oh." With that he smiled an evil smile and turned to the man to his left. "Hey Dare."

"Yeah Mal?" The dark haired Adonis smiled at his friend winning a few sighs from women who were close by.

"I think Serena and her friends are on this cruise." Malachite thought he saw a flash of anger cross his friends eyes and then was gone. "I know how much you two hate one another soo… this being a singles cruise and all, wanna make a bet?"

"Like what?" Jadeite suddenly butt into the conversation, his green eyes glittering with mischief. "What are we betting on… oh my God… I want…" Jed's eyes suddenly focused on someone off in the distance. "I am sooo going to… mmm…" He bit his lip as his eyes raked over his target.

"Let's see how long it takes you to get her in bed." Malachite smiled at Darien who had been staring at Jed in his delusional trance. "And, get to her before someone else does." Darien's face snapped beck to Malachite's, his attention fully gained.

"What is that supposed to mean? What makes you think I want to get her into bed?" Darien growled with frustration, the innocent blonde's image popping into his mind. "I don't think she'd be on this cruise, besides, I have no interest is sleeping with her; and especially no interest in making a bet on it." He glanced at Jed again who was now drooling a little. "What the hell are you looking at?" Darien's eyes followed Jed's gaze, the midnight blue orbs landing on the person in question.

For a moment Darien felt the wind leave his lungs. Never, in a million years had he imagined Serena being on a cruise like this, of course he'd never imagined seeing her in the outfit she was currently wearing. As she weaved through the masses followed by her close friends she laughed happily, her body bouncing from gaiety.

"Wow! I mean wow!" Jed gasp. "Isn't that Serena? The chick you always fight with Dare?" He licked his lips. "Damn, I mean, I've had dreams about her before but now…" Jed smiled. "I have to do something about that now." He began to stand only to have Darien violently pull him back down to the booth.

"What do you say Dare? Too chicken to try?" Malachite pried as Nephrite returned to the booth with drinks. "Or is it that you know you don't have a chance with her. I mean, I looks like Jed has an interest."

"Serena's not that type of girl. There's no way anyone's getting her into bed by the close of this cruise. No way." Darien emphasized and stared at her as she began to dance with her friends. The way her hips swiveled and moved made a tingle travel the length of his spine. _I've never noticed how fluid her movements are until now…_ He smiled to himself.

"Whatever! Are you blind? A girl only wears a dress like that for one reason and one reason only. She's in heat." Jed grinned wildly and grabbed his rum and coke. "I mean hot damn, all I can think about is grabbing a hold of her ass, bending her over the bar and…"

"Enough Jed." Darien snapped angrily then looked at Malachite. "What are the terms of your little bet?" Malachite seemed to smile at Darien's curiosity.

"Good of you to ask… well, I think it's safe to say that Serena is fair game to anyone who wants to go after her and obviously Jed has an interest. So, I bet that you can't get Serena into bed before he does. If you don't beat him then… you have to pay for our expenses on this cruise. I mean everything. If, and it's a big if. If you win, and you do get her into bed first, then you get your trip paid for and one favor from each of us." Malachite grinned as Darien thought about it.

"How will this bet be measured?" Nephrite asked nonchalantly. "Either of them could make claims. Serena's not one to kiss and tell." The four men thought carefully about the answer before Andrew cleared his throat.

"I don't like any of this. Serena's not something to bet on, much less her virtue." Andrew crossed his arms. "I mean, that's Serena!"

"You mean she's a virgin?" Jed's eyes practically popped out of his head. "Dare, you are so going down! I'm going to pop that cherry before you even have a chance to talk to her!" Jed then quieted as Darien's eyes erupted with rage. "She's asking for it." He murmured as Andrew stared at him with disgust. "Hey, here we go. How about this? When we get her into bed, we have to bring back the panties she was wearing AND a picture of her sleeping topless in bed the next morning? Eh?"

"What?" Darien growled. This bet had crossed a line and was far into the realm of unforgivable sins. "Jed, that's sick."

"He has a point though, she would never willingly give her panties away or let you take a picture of her like that so… It's a good measure." Malachite nodded in approval. "So it's set then?" Jed nodded his head feverishly as Darien watched Serena on the dance floor. "Darien?"

"It's a deal." He breathed and nodded. He was certain he was going to hell but he'd be damned if Serena was going to end up another mounted trophy on someone's mantle.

"Sweet! See ya!" Jed got up hurriedly and rushed onto the dance floor to make his way to the beautiful blonde.


	2. And So It Begins

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it. :) **REVIEW!**

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2

And So It Begins

I exhaled and laughed as I fanned myself a little. I was definitely overheating and a little break was beginning to look good. I knew better of course, if I wanted a break I had to get off the dance floor and I wasn't so sure I wanted to. "It's hot in here!" I shouted over the DJ's loud attempt to stir the crowd even more.

"Nah, It's just you!" A masculine voice shouted near me. Whirling around I came face to face with an attractive blonde with green eyes. He reminded me a bit of Andrew, the difference being that this man had curly hair. "I have to say, I've been eyeing you all evening, want to dance one song?" He smiled, his white teeth almost glowing under the black lights.

"Sure!" I shouted as a fast beat song started playing. It was one I knew well and if there was ever a better moment for this song to come up I wouldn't have known it. (It's Kesha's Blah Blah Blah song)

_Coming out your mouth with your blah blah blah.  
Just zip your lips like a padlock and meet me at the back with the jack and the jukebox.  
I don't really care where you live at just turn around boy and let me hit that.  
Don't be a little bitch with your chit chat just show me where your dicks at.  
Music starts  
Listen hot stuff  
Im in love  
With this song  
So just hush baby shut up  
Heard enough  
Stop stop stop talking that  
Blah blah blah think you'll be getting this?_

_nah nah nah  
Not in the back of my car car car  
If you keep talking that blah blah blah blah blah.  
Boy come on now ' ' '  
Come put a little love it my glove bag  
I wanna dance with no pants on_

The song kept going and as I danced with the strange man I couldn't help but smile and grind myself against him. Oh, there was no doubt about it, he wanted me and all I could think of was getting him riled up and leaving him high and dry. Was it mean? Maybe, and at the same time I didn't care.

The song ended and the man reluctantly released me, turning to him I blushed slightly as I noticed the lusty look in his eyes. "Well, thank you for the dance. It was fun." I leaned close to his ear so he could hear me over the crowd. I felt him shudder a bit and noticed that my chest was pressed to him rather intimately. "I've got to be going now."

"My name's Jadeite, everyone calls me Jed though." He smiled and placed his hands on my hips. "If you ever need me I'm in room 308." His green eyes glittered with mischief. "See you around hot stuff." He then turned on his heels and disappeared into the grinding hoards.

Turning around I saw Raye looking at me with jealousy in her eyes. "I'm going to head back to my room now." I sighed and began to walk towards the exit. Making it to the doors I smiled in relief and placed my hand on the knob only to hear a soft chuckle.

"You know Meatball head, wolves come in all shapes and sizes." I stopped and turned my head to the side with what I'm sure, was a look of complete and utter surprise. Leaning against the wall almost as if he belonged there was the one and only man I did not want to see on this ship. Sure it as a big ship but it wasn't THAT big. "You look surprised to see me."

"I assure you, I am." I regained myself and pulled my frame up. This wasn't supposed to happen, why was jerkface here? Why me, and why did he look so smug? "What? Are you stalking me now or something?" I snapped and felt my breath hitch slightly as he smiled and pushed off of the wall effortlessly. Oh my God ladies, not entirely sure if you can appreciate the feeling but, he way he looked, hot damn it was hard not to feel all fuzzy and hot inside.

His hair was pristine as always but tonight he wore something a little more… okay, a lot more sexy. I let my eyes scan him quickly being sure to let my face register disgust rather than the pure bliss I was feeling. He wore a tight, and I mean tight, black muscle shirt that clung to his chest and upper arms accenting his well-developed muscles. The shirt loosened a bit around his torso to hide the rest of the perfection that was him. He had on black jeans and had a black leather jacket slung casually over his shoulder. I didn't bother paying attention to his shoes.

"I saw you out there dancing with Jed. He's a good friend of mine." He smiled devilishly, his broad white smile making my heart flutter. "I hope you know that he only wants to get in your pants." Just like that I felt myself snap back into reality. Of course Jed only wanted to get in my pants!

"I know." I nodded and pulled the door open. For once I think I actually saw a look of surprise cross his beautiful face. Stepping out into the hallway I heard him follow then chuckle again. That sound always got me and I couldn't help but look back at him. "What?"

"It doesn't bother you that he's just looking for a one night stand?" Darien raised an eyebrow then laughed a little at whatever he saw on my face. "You surprise me Meatball head. All your carrying on over the years and as it turns out, you're just like every other girl. Idealistic but when you get right down to it, you're all a bunch of easy, hormonal, animals."

WHOA! Hold the phone! Did he just say that to ME? He called me easy! OF ALL THE PIG HEADED, SELF SERVING, CONCEITED… I closed my eyes and balled my fists. No, he's just trying to get to me… that's all.

"I'm not as easy as you think. As you can see, I'm not leaving with him." I smiled and turned around to walk away.

"Maybe not, but you will eventually leave with me." His smug tone stopped me in my tracks. This was the strangest conversation I had ever had in my life! Was I dreaming? Yeah, I had to be.

Turning once more I smiled the biggest, sexiest, and most seductive smile I could. "You only wish Darien. As far as I can tell though, you're simply an idiotic little boy and I'm only interested in men." The glimmer that entered his eyes was that of a man being challenged.

"You know Meatball head…" He stepped close to me, his frame leaning over mine as he fixed his gaze on some point behind me. "Later on, you'll regret that comment." He smiled then leaned down to whisper in my ear. "In fact, I'm going to bet that you'll be screaming your apology to me." With that he stood up, turned on his heels, and walked back into the party hall leaving his scent to linger in my nose.

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding and turned quickly to walk to my room. What was going on? I spend one dance with a guy and suddenly Darien materializes with a warning and a half passed proposition?

"Wait, what?" I gasp out loud and clasp my hand over my chest. Darien just hit on me… ME! I looked down at my outfit and grit my teeth. Of course, men. He sees me in this little number and his mind immediately switches to fuck mode. Asshole.

* * *

"I can't believe you're going to do this." Andrew snapped at his best friend and paced the small living room in Darien's suite. "Seriously how can you?"

"What do you want me to do? Just let Jed use her? How is that fair to her? I may not like her very much but I don't want to see her end up like that." Darien sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Since his encounter with her earlier he was wondering why he felt the need to protect her. They weren't even friends.

"Cut the crap Darien! You've been eyeing her since you met her. You just needed a good excuse to move in on her. Now you have it, way to go!" Andrew spat and slammed his hands on the counter of the small kitchen. He reminded Darien of a caged animal, pacing around, restless. "It's pathetic! And how are you any better than him? You took the bet! You bet on her innocence and even more, if either of you succeed you're going to flaunt it my taking her undergarments and taking a picture of her!"

"Will you shut up for a moment?" Darien growled. "I'm not going to do anything to her. All I have to do is keep her away from Jed for the duration of the cruise and that's it. Simple."

"You two didn't say it ended with the finish of the cruise. There's no time limit!" Andrew pointed out and crossed his arms. "Jed won't stop then."

Darien regarded Andrew with shock. It was true, there was no time limit. "She's going to London after the cruise so no worries, he's not going to chase her all the way there just to win a bet." Darien reasoned. Jed was determined, not stupid.

"I doubt it. She's not going to leave her friends and family." Andrew sighed and moved out of the kitchen and to the couch. "This is a mess."

"I'll think of a way to win the bet." Darien sighed and sat next to Andrew. "I'll win and Jed will have to leave her alone." Andrew simply looked at his friend and frowned. He respected Darien but this was unforgivable. To bet on a young woman's virtue and treat her like a prize to be won was too much. "I'll think of a way."

"What if you just tell her?" Andrew proposed and winced as Darien glared at him angrily. "Yeah, you're right. Bad idea. Well, what else can we do? I mean, she's not just going to hand over her underwear with a smile."

"No, I never said this wouldn't be a challenge." Darien paused then shook his head. "Don't worry Andrew, I'll get us both out of this with as little damage to her as possible. Then she can go to London and live her life."

"You won't let her go. Face it Dare, you took the bet, because you love her." Andrew smiled knowingly. "You did it to protect her."

"I don't love her. I just don't agree with the terms of the bet. That's all." He shook his head and stood. "Now, will you go so I can get some sleep. I need to rest so I can come up with a plan."

"Sure. Just remember that whatever you do, she will remember it forever." Andrew put a hand on his friend's shoulder and patted once. "Night." The blonde then exited his friend's room leaving Darien to his own thoughts. How was he going to manage this one? From her reaction in the hallway earlier that evening Serena didn't seem to terribly thrilled that he was on the cruise. Then again, she was never too terribly thrilled to see him.

With a heavy sigh he climbed the small staircase to his sleeping area and hell backwards onto the bed. Oh how wonderful it felt to just relax for once. That's what this was after all, a vacation. If only he'd decided on a vacation without his friends. Clearly their presence was beginning to take a toll and he'd only been on the boat for a few hours! It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

* * *

"Can you believe that Ames?" I asked for perhaps the tenth time that evening. She simply nodded her response and I couldn't help but pity her. She was simply trying to drop the subject without a fuss. "I mean, the nerve right?" I continued on and began to strip off my little clubbing outfit. After this I may never wear the thing again. Not if it was going to turn my worst enemy into a predator.

"I don't know what you want me to say Serena. I told you that outfit was going to get you in trouble and now you have a guy majorly hitting on you and Darien, well, he's always been a little unpredictable." Amy sighed and looked at me. "The last person I expected him to hit on is you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms over my bra clad chest. Did Amy think I was unattractive? If so, she had another thing coming. Darien would be damn lucky if he managed to land a catch like me!

"It means that you two have been fighting since the day you met. You two hate one another and I'm just shocked that he would flirt with you so boldly. He's never shown an interest in you. If anything he's been nothing but hateful." Amy sighed and shut her book. "Of the group of us, I expected him to go after Raye, or even me before you."

I could tell she was trying to reason everything out in her mind and at the same time, her words hurt. Was I really so unbearable that Darien hated the very fibers of my being? Was that kind of disdain even possible? Perhaps, and at the same time I hoped not. I didn't want to be hated that badly by anyone.

Amy suddenly sat up as if she'd had a revelation. "Oh my God, Serena!" She looked at me with wide eyes. "You said he started talking to you about his friend right? That Jed character that you danced with?" I nodded. "Well, what if, now, hear me out here. What if he saw you dancing with Jed and suddenly got jealous? What if all these years, he's been mean to you because he actually likes you?" Amy smiled happily. "It's so grade school!"

"What? Amy, I think the movement of this ship has warped your senses or something. Darien doesn't like me. You said so yourself he's been nothing but hateful since day one. It would be overly weird for him to suddenly do a one eighty on me." I simply stared at Amy as she shook her head with an impish smile. Her expression made me second guess myself. What if she was right? She usually was. "Besides, even if he did decide that he liked me, I'm not interested."

After that comment I'm betting Amy will never believe me again. The way she simply looked at me with a smirk told me she didn't believe me. Who wouldn't be interested right? I mean, if he were a man living with the ancient Greeks they would have erected a temple in his honor because he was clearly Godlike.

"Liar." Amy simply smiled and chuckled lightly. "I say you should flirt with Jed. Be merciless and see how Darien reacts to it. I have a feeling that the closer you get to Jed, the more persistent Darien will be." I nodded and bit my lip. Was it right to do such a thing? Didn't that cross some imaginary line? I mean, using someone to make another person jealous wasn't really my thing… then again, it was Darien. He deserved any sort of discomfort I could illicit

"Fine, we'll try this little experiment of yours but if this blows up in my face I'm blaming you." I warned and crawled under the comfortable blankets of my temporary bed. "Tomorrow I start flirting with Jed."

* * *

The next morning came far too early for me. With a groan I rolled out of bed and begrudgingly walked to the bathroom to take a shower. Amy had clearly gotten an early start and had left the room to go and explore. It was a good thing that she was finally branching out and spreading her wings.

I quickly took my shower and went to my suitcase. Rifling through it I smiled as I spotted The perfect outfit for me to start my plan. From what I noticed, Jed liked the fact that I was showing a lot of skin last night, so, keeping with that theme, I pulled out some short jean shorts, and a pink tank top with a built in bra. This was so perfect I could hardly contain my excitement.

Short shorts and a tank top without a bra, oh yeah, you know the men love it. So, with a smile on my lips I stepped out of my room and began to head towards the third floor of the ship. Jed mentioned he was in room 308 and hopefully he'd be there.

Coming upon the room I knocked on the door and heard someone moving around. After a few moments he opened the door, his hair was a mess and his shirt was missing. "Oh! Uh, Serena! Hold on a second will you?" He quickly shut the door. I heard him moving about again then he returned to open the door. "Hey there beautiful, sorry, you just woke me up so, yeah." He seemed to hesitate then smiled. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast with me. Maybe we can spend the day together?" I touched his arm to accentuate my point. He glanced at my hand and gave me a bright smile. With a simple nod he grabbed a brush, brushed his hair, then stepped out and shut the door.

"I'm happy to see you Serena. I didn't think you'd be interested in spending time with me after Darien told you I am his friend." He chuckled. "I'm glad that you can appreciate that being his friend doesn't make me like him."

"I don't want to talk about him okay?" I smiled sweetly and linked my arm with his. "I just want to spend time with Jed and get to know him." I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. I felt dirty in a way, I mean, this was not my typical manner.

"Then you came to the right place darling." He laughed and continued to walk to the dining hall. As we walked I could almost feel his excitement leading from every pore. He was so very happy about spending time with me, I felt flattered.

As we walked into the dining hall I spotted the girls right away, each of them together listening to Mina jabber away about what I assumed aw her night with a stranger. My eyes then swooped around the room and spotted Darien right away, even though he was sitting down, I could see him staring at me and the anger sparking from those ocean blue orbs scared me a little.

"Who should we sit with?" He asked sweetly. "Your friends, or mine?"

What could I answer? I didn't really want to sit with his friends, then again, the opportunity to be so close to Darien and practically laughing in his face was appealing. "Let's just sit with my friends." He decided and began to move us toward Darien's table.

"Well well, Meatball head coming to sit at the cool kids' table?" Darien growled as Jed pulled a chair out for me. "Don't you think you could take your missions of conquest somewhere else Jed?"

"Be nice." Jed warned and sat next to me. "Ignore him, he obviously hasn't had his coffee yet." I looked between the two men and noticed that unspoken words were being exchanged.

"Serena right? It's very nice to meet you. My name's Malachite, this is Nephrite, and Zoicite. I think you know Andrew and Darien here." A tall, cold looking man with shoulder length silver hair smiled. I simply nodded and surveyed the men at the table. Each one was good looking but Darien by far won the prize of hottest hunk.

I looked over at the girls' table and noticed them staring at me with disbelief. Amy had obviously told them the plan. Remembering that small detail I smiled and placed my hand on Jed's arm. "Jed, would you be a gentleman and grab a plate of eggs and bacon for me?" He nodded eagerly and stood.

"Make sure you pile her plate as high as possible, she has a bottomless pit for a stomach and if you let her she would eat everything in sight." Darien leaned back in his seat and smirked as my face fell. He was such an asshole! "Not to mention, I bet she eats twice the bacon as eggs so be sure to get lots and lots of bacon."

"Shut your yap jerk face! You're so immature it's a wonder anyone sees you as anything but a silly little boy!" Okay, so that wasn't really part of the plan but I couldn't help it. "Besides, you know an awful lot about my eating habits for someone who hates me so much." I was pretty sure his friends were all smiling with glee at this little spat.

"I only know about your eating habits because they're so disgusting I'm shocked that you can maintain any sort of female shape at all, much less human. I would expect you to look more like a blob." He snapped angrily.

His words took the wind right out of my sails. I promptly shut my mouth and looked at my hands which I had folded in my lap. I knew it, he hated me. Why had I let myself believe Amy's idea? Darien Shields would never see me as anything but an enemy. Whatever our interaction was last night must have been a result of alcohol or something.

"You are so despicable is sickening!" Jed suddenly yelled at Darien. The outburst seemed to surprise everyone at the table. "Look at her! Are you fucking blind or something?" Jed tenderly grabbed my chin and pulled it up so that Darien could see my face and consequently, my slightly teary eyes. If he noticed, I certainly couldn't tell. "This woman is so beautiful it's a sin not to appreciate her."

Tearing my eyes away from Darien I looked at Jed who looked like a cornered cat about to strike. Glancing at Andrew I saw him gawking at Jed with his mouth hanging open. Had no one ever stood up to Darien before? Why in the world did everyone seem so shocked?

"Come on Serena. Let's go and get our own table so that we don't have to listen to his delirious ranting." Jed smiled and pulled me away from the table of shocked men. I briefly glanced back at Darien who was gripping the table so tightly his knuckles were white. "He clearly doesn't know a good thing when he sees it." Jed smiled reassuringly and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "No worries though, you can eat as much bacon as you want around me, I find it sexy."


	3. Not So Bad After All

Okay, a little dark and hopefully I didn't foreshadow this too much. Enjoy and

**REVIEW!**

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3

Not So Bad After All

The group of men sat at the table staring at Darien with open mouths. "What the fuck was that? Are you out of your mind Darien?" Andrew growled at his friend and frowned when Darien simply shrugged.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." The dark haired Adonis smiled at his friends and sipped his black coffee. He'd let Jed play the sweet and nice card, because it would be that much better when he fell. He knew his Meatball head. She would adore Jed, faun over him, then, when Jed made a move that was a little out of her ideal of him. Bam! That was all she wrote.

"You do know you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar right?" Zoicite spoke for the first time that morning. His green eyes fixed on Darien with unease.

"I know, but Serena, in case you haven't noticed, isn't a fly. I don't think she likes to be chased. She wants what is always out of reach." Darien smirked at his friends then looked over at the girls' table. They seemed to be watching him. "Besides, she's playing a game."

"You're nuts." Andrew sighed and shook his head. Darien ignored him, the look on her friends' faces told him she was up to something. Andrew and the other guys may have been immune but he wasn't. He knew better.

* * *

I spent the entire day with Jed. We swam in the pool, surfed on the surf simulator thing, and he'd even taken me to dinner. Forget the plan, spending time with him was way better than making Darien jealous! Jed was a gentleman, and, he didn't mind that I liked to eat. He'd even challenged me to a competition, which he lost by the way.

Of course, the contrast between him and Darien made me wonder. Why, would such a great guy like him, be friends with such an ass like Darien? My curiosity got the best of me. "Jed, how can you be friends with a creep like Darien?"

Jed seemed to freeze then sighed. "Well, he's not a creep. You're the only person I've ever seen him act like that towards. He's a nice guy really. What did you do to make him hate you so much?" Jed asked kindly and focused his eyes on mine. That was a good question. One I didn't have an answer for.

"I don't know." I shook my head and sighed. I couldn't help but feel sad about this new fact. I was the only one he hated? Wow. "Look, I um, I need to get back to my room. Amy's missing me by now and…" Jed pushed his index finger to my lips and stepped in front of me. A smile played upon his lips as he shook his head from side to side.

"You don't really want to go do you?" He whispered and moved his fingers to grasp my chin. Suddenly I became aware of how close he was, when had he invaded my personal space? "Amy won't miss you if you're only gone one night right?"

"I, really need to go." I swallowed the lump in my throat and backed away. "I'll see you tomorrow maybe." I smiled and turned away from him. I had to get away, despite the fact that he was so sweet he'd just gotten way too close for my comfort.

As I walked back to my room I remembered Darien's words. He had been warning me about Jed! Had he been mean to me this morning to push me away? To try and make me retreat? Whoa, I was definitely confusing myself now. Darien wasn't capable of such a manipulative move… what was I thinking, of course he was! Darien Shields was a class A genius, and just as easy as it was for Amy to make up a plan, he could do it too!

I felt sick now. I was being played! Jed, what could I believe about him, was he sweet, was he mean? What was he? _He's a guy who wants to get in your pants Serena._ I shook a little. This was far too complicated for me.

"You don't look too good Meatball head." Darien's voice interrupted my thoughts. I was getting sick of it too. "Are you okay?" I looked at him with shock on my face. God! He was doing that more and more! I suppose what shocked me was his soft tone. He seemed to notice my unease and took a few slow steps towards me, his deep blue eyes examining me closely. "What's wrong?"

Something in me was drawn to him. I wanted to tell him all about my internal struggle but then again, why? Darien Shields was a jackass of the worst sort. "Nothing's wrong." I defended myself and continued to walk. Even as I trudged down the hall I heard him behind me, his long legs no match for my short stride. "What do you want? Embarrass me a little more maybe?" I shot and for once, I saw a slight reaction from him. He was shocked.

He shook his head and sighed. "No, I'm just making sure you're okay. I apologize for the way I acted this morning. I was grumpy and simply couldn't help myself. You know I tend to have my back up around you." It was a sorry excuse for an explanation, much less and apology.

"What the hell did I ever do to you Darien? Why do you hate me so much?" I growled at him. He didn't respond, he simply remained quiet, standing in the hallway with a blank façade. "Fine, don't answer me." I turned from him and continued to walk away. Of course, me being who I am, I stopped and looked back at him only to notice that he had his head turned to the side and seemed to be listening to something carefully.

"What are you doing?" I asked rudely. He held up his hand as if to silence me and turned around. "Jerk face?" I called after him as he turned the corner in the hall, whatever he was doing it wasn't my business and so I carried on to my room.

* * *

In the morning I groggily sat up and looked at Amy's bed. She wasn't there, odd, two mornings in a row. Rising up I left the room and went next store to Raye and Lita's room where I soon found my roommate, Lita, and Mina huddled around Raye.

"Wh… what's going on?" I asked now worried about my dear friend. It looked as if Raye had been crying for quite some time and to see her like this Seriously concerned me. "Ames?"

"I couldn't even…" Raye cried then silenced as there was light knock on the door. Turning around I opened the door and glared at the man on the other side. What was Jerk face doing here? I went to open my mouth but he simply stepped beside me and walked to Raye and knelt down.

"Hey, how are you doing today?" He smiled winningly and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Well, I've got some aspirin for you, and a large bottle of water. I'll bring you some soup or something later." I simply stood there staring at him dumbly, what the hell was going on here? What was wrong with Raye and why was Darien acting like some… soft hearted boyfriend.

"She's just been crying all morning." Lita informed him and received a nod from him. "I mean… what's going to happen now?" Lita asked the dark haired man who simply looked at her with troubled eyes.

"Well, I'm sure the crew members found him right where I left him." He almost sneered. The anger and disgust in his voice was by far the most profound I had ever heard. "But our fiery friend here will be just fine. A little shaken, a headache, but overall, intact. Right Raye?"

Raye nodded through her tears and smiled slightly at him. "Thank you." She whispered and closed her eyes to rest. I still didn't understand what was going on but I had to find out. When Darien stood and nodded at the girls, I followed him out into the hallway. I didn't even care that I was wearing my short silken robe or that my hair was down. I needed to know what he knew.

"Last night, when I was following you I heard something. I went to go investigate and found some asshole had drugged her and was about to force himself on her." He explained before I could open my mouth. "I'm glad you went to your room because it was a sickening sight and I'm sure, I was far less, gentile than I normally am." He almost smiled at me as he said that. "Like I said, she's okay, he didn't get away with it, and I managed to get this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill bottle. He turned the label to me.

"Rohypnol? What is that?" I raised my eyes to his and saw alarm in them. "What is it?"

"Rohypnol is more commonly known as a Ruffy?" He raised his eyebrows. "The date rape drug?" He sighed and put the bottle back into his pocket. He obviously had plans for your friend there." I turned back to the door, the severity of what I had just learned hit me.

"What did you do to him?" I growled angrily. Whoever he was, I wanted him to suffer and something told me, that Jerkface was the one who had delivered judgment.

"Oh, I let him know how wrong I thought he was." He held up his hand, his knuckles had been broken open from some type of blunt force trauma. "I don't think he'll ever do it again." He assured me and smiled. "It could have been you." He said simply and turned away.

I wasn't sure if I should resent him saying that or take it as something different. What was he saying? Was he happy that it wasn't me? Or sad? I wasn't sure but I had a feeling that I didn't want to know. I was just glad that Raye was okay and the guy had been brought to terms with his sin.

* * *

Jed sat across the table from his long time friend with a smile on his face. Darien hadn't said a word. Jed decided that it was because he was winning the bet so far. "So, Serena and I spent all day together yesterday." Jed smiled wickedly and took a sip of his water. "He's got this hot little pink bikini and I just love the way she looks in it."

"I'm sure we would all appreciate such a thing." Malachite grinned. "I spotted a nice blonde yesterday, actually, she looks a lot like Serena. Except she's taller and wears her hair half up and half down." Andrew almost chocked on his coffee as he looked at Malachite.

"Th… that's Mina! She's one of Serena's best friends." He recited easily as Malachite smiled. "She's available but a little bit of a pant chaser."

"Yeah yeah, so, Serena and I were swimming in the pool. She went to the diving board and jumped in. When she surfaced though, well, let's just say that top wasn't tied as well as it should have been and…"

"Shut up Jed." Darien snapped. "You're such a liar it's ridiculous." Every male at the table turned to look at Darien with shock. "If that had happened I would have heard her squeals all the way from the other side of the ship. Trust me on this one."

"Whatever, you're just angry that you're losing. She hesitated a little yesterday when I asked her back to my room, I'm betting I'll have her in bed by the end of the week." Jed smirked and winked at his opponent who glared at him angrily. "What?"

"What if she says no?" Darien challenged. The run in with the asshole and Raye last night had put a serious kink in his attitude on this bet. He didn't' want to trick Serena into doing anything with him, and he certainly didn't want Jed to do a Jedite mind trick to get her into bed either. (A/N- Sorry all, noticed my crafty little trick there with the Jedite thing. Haha! Love it!)

"If she says no then I'll just keep on trying till she gives in." Jed smiled and raised his eyebrows rapidly. "In the end, I will win." Jed winked at Malachite who placed his chin in his hand. He knew Jed was going to go at this with his all but everyone knew Darien harbored some very strong feelings towards Serena. Feelings even he himself had yet to realize.

"This isn't a fucking game!" Darien snapped and slammed his hand down onto the table. "I agreed to this so you wouldn't take away her innocence like the unceremonious bastard you are Jed. You play the good guy but you're the snake in the grass."

"Whoa, whoa, Darien, don't be so vicious." Jed laughed. "You bet on her as well, it's a game to you and you know it." Jed glanced at Malachite then Nephrite. He had originally entered into this contest to get Darien all worked up, then, somewhere on the dance floor, he committed to the bet. He wanted Serena now. "The only way I'm going to stop, is if you beat me to her." He offered and smiled. "Which, it doesn't look like you're going to do anytime soon. "I mean, she hates your guts, it's so very obvious."

Darien simply regarded Jed then looked at Andrew with sadness in his eyes. "I have to go. I'm going to my room. See you all later, maybe at the dance tonight." He smiled and walked away from his friends. He had to figure out a plan. How was he going to win this? Andrew was right, Serena wouldn't respond well to the truth, and he wasn't comfortable with really winning this. "What am I going to do?" He shook his head and quickly made it back to his suite. Now angry, he pulled his jacket off and threw it across the living room and threw himself onto the couch. Jed was right, Serena hated him and unless he somehow managed a miracle, Jed was going to "win: the bet.

Lifting his head a little his eyes fixed on the object laying next to his coat. As if it were automatic, his heart stopped. An idea was born and suddenly, he knew how he would win. He could do it, and no one would ever know.

* * *

I was surprised by how quickly Raye regained herself. Darien had a few words with her later on in the evening and she was feeling better. She said that he'd put it in perspective, that his work in the hospital had allowed him to see some terrible cases and she was lucky. She just needed to be more careful. In a way, I was glad, but hesitant nonetheless.

Jerk face had been the one to save her, he'd been the one to make her feel better. What had I done to help? Nothing! Then again, now that we were out of our rooms and going to the dancing hall again we'd all be fine. A night of group dancing and light drinking couldn't hurt, especially if we all stuck together.

Jed let me know that he and the guys would be there, Jerk face included. At least they'd look out for us, that was nice. I was wearing something a little better tonight than the other night. This evening I was wearing a tight black dress that wasn't too revealing. I still looked smoking hot though. Of course, tonight's focus was the girls and not any hot guys. Amy had finally decided that she would take a chance and experience the club scene.

After a few dances I broke off briefly and walked to the bar close to where Jed was. Ordering a Cosmopolitan I smiled at Jed suggestively. "So, how are you this evening." I could almost hear Darien snort his distaste behind me. "Do you have an issue jerk face?" I growled.

"No, not at all meatball head." He replied and shook his head. "Raye seems better." He said softly. I'm glad she's okay." I nodded and grabbed my drink. Jed seemed to be challenging Darien with his eyes. "I'll be seeing you later, kay meatball head?" Darien smiled and chucked my chin with his knuckles. He then walked away leaving me with a healthy blush. What in the world were these men doing to me?

I wish Darien would look at me once as if I was something, maybe, even for a moment. If I could just feel like he might see me as something other than the meatball headed klutz. "Well, maybe he doesn't hate you." Jed smiled wickedly. "Looks like I have competition."

"What? Darien? No, no way." I shook my head and watched his retreating figure. "No… I mean…" Amy's words rang in my head as I admired Darien's backside. She was right. I was interested.

"You know, Serena, if you do like him. You should act like it sometimes." Jed rolled his eyes at his own words. "I mean, you know, if you like the good looking, rich, doctor types." I jerked my face towards Jed's with shock. Rich? What did he mean rich? "I'm nicer though." Jed winked.

With a little bit of courage I took a large drink from my cosmo and walked over to Darien. I wasn't sure what I was going to say to him but I'd figure something out. I was a marketing major for heaven's sake. "Darien, hey, look I um…"

"Would you like to dance with me?" He interrupted me with a knee weakening smile. "Just one?" I just stared at him wide-eyed. This I hadn't expected!

"Sure!" I exclaimed perhaps a little too quickly and downed my drink. Setting the glass on the table I grinned at him. "I hope you can keep up with me jerk face. I'm an animal on the dance floor."

"I noticed." He laughed and took my hand firmly. Tingles traveled up my arm and down my spine in a way I didn't quite know how to comprehend. Just how attracted to this man was I? Moreover, how had I not noticed before this trip?

A fast beat song came on and as we began to dance with one another I felt myself become all sorts of turned on! For one, his hands on me, well, it was like they elicited fire from my every pore. Even his scent did things to my mind that made me weak with desire. Oh, no question ladies, if he asked me to his room at this very moment I would have jumped him.

We moved together so perfectly I could hardly believe I was dancing with my long time enemy. I mean, this was Darien for Christ's sake! Here I was though, grinding it up with jerk face, and enjoying every moment of it. One dance turned into two and then… my head started to hurt.

Noticing my immediate change in movement he stopped and looked at me with concern. "Meatball head? What's wrong, you look sick." He immediately latched his hand onto my forehead and shook his head. "Let's get you back to your room." It was a simple statement and I nodded with a silent thank you. First he saved Raye, and now he was helping me. My dislike for him had completely left my body.

After announcing to the girls that he was going to take me back we left the hall together and walked slowly down the hallway. "Thank you so very much Dare…" I held my head and shut my eyes tightly. In a moment I felt myself being scooped into his arms and he was carrying me bride style. Whatever sort of headache this was, it sucked!


	4. Winning the Bet

I know bad me, bad, bad me. I just can't seem to pull the effort out of myself. I have this story pretty maped out in my head I just can't bring myself to make enough time to type a damn thing. *sigh* Hey, I did do this so hopefully you'll enjoy this a little bit and let me know what you think. It's going to get complicated soon, and steamy. Oh yes, there will be dirty, dirty scenes. :D

* * *

4

Winning the Bet

Darien could hardly believe he was doing this but here he was, walking down the hall with an unconscious woman in his arms. He hadn't wanted this, and at the same time, it was necessary. He wanted to protect her from the things she couldn't seem to understand.

Coming upon her door he awkwardly managed to retrieve the key from its hiding place on her person slipped it into the card reader. A few moments later he lay her on the bed and stood up with a deep and troubled sigh. "I'm sorry." He frowned and took hold of the bottom of her dress, sliding it up her legs, hips, and then finally pulling it away from her body. He gasp at the sight before him. How had he never noticed how beautiful she was?

Lying on the bed in her undergarments, she was the most stunning creature he'd ever encountered. Turning to her dresser he grabbed a pair of panties from it and delicately hooked his fingers under the cotton material of the ones currently hugging her skin.

Even though he knew she wouldn't wake, he was very vigilant with this task. Removing the panties he exhaled with relief and tucked the items in his pants pocket. He then slid the new pair on, his eyes caressing every inch of the woman sleeping. His eyes traveled to her face where her lips were slightly pouted and for a brief moment, he wanted to taste them.

Shaking his head he forced out the thoughts beginning to surface and refocused. He had to complete his task! Lifting her torso he quickly unhooked her bra, then removed the bobby pins holding up the buns he loved so much. As if it were a waterfall of gold, her hair tumbled down a little so that he could gently tussle it with his fingers. Oh how soft her hair was, and the sweet vanilla scent that reached his nose made him groan inwardly.

Removing the Bra completely he lifted the covers to her bed and maneuvered her under them so that the blanket lay across her lap and her supple breasts were showing. Being sure she looked natural and not posed, he pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture as if he were lying next to her in bed. Examining the photo he nodded and covered her with the blankets, then left being sure to lock the door on his way out.

* * *

The next morning Darien woke with a sense of deep satisfaction. He'd managed to pull it off without her knowing. Even better, he had the evidence that would undoubtedly make Jed leave her alone. Rising from the bed Darien sighed and made sure Serena's panties were safely tucked into the pocket of his pants. He didn't want to show them off as if he had taken her innocence but doing so would protect her. He just hoped to some higher being that his deception wouldn't be discovered.

Finding his friends at their table he smiled and sat down. The action drew all eyes to him and just as he was about to open his mouth, Mina sat next to Malachite with a seductive smile. She then turned her eyes to him and shook her head. "I saw you dancing with Serena last night. You two looked pretty cozy together hm?" She winked.

"Heya, Mina, not that I don't enjoy your company but, would you leave us guys a lone for a bit so we can have our secret manly meeting?" Malachite smiled and watched as Mina nodded then went to her friend's table. "So, we saw you leave with her last night…" His words dropped off as all eyes turned to Darien questioningly.

"Mission accomplished." Darien smiled as smugly as he could manage. Jed's jaw practically hit the table. "See." Darien pulled the panties from his pocket and tossed them to the middle of the table then plucked his cell phone from his jacket pocket.

"No way!" Jed growled and grabbed the panties from the table. Eyeing Darien carefully he inspected the piece of clothing then quickly sniffed them causing the other men at the table to quirk eyebrows. "Just making sure." Jed pouted and tossed the item back onto the table. "What about the photo?"

"Here." Darien showed him the picture on his phone and saw Jed inhale sharply. Andrew stared at the evidence of Darien's victory and felt unease settle within him. How could Darien have managed such a feat as this? "There. See? I did it. Leave her alone." Darien snatched up Serena's panties and his phone.

"Fine." Jed held up his hands in surrender. "After you two left I was introduced to Raye anyhow. That woman, ohhh, she's one of those chicks who'll crack a whip over your ass so quickly…" The other men stared at Jed with warning in their eyes. He simply smiled and glanced over at Raye with a wink. "Well Dare, way to man up though. It was about time you got with that chick."

The word anger, could hardly describe the emotion coursing through Darien at the current moment. He'd gone through great lengths, embarrassing and compromising lengths, to get those pieces of evidence and Jed was simply shrugging away the idea of sleeping with Serena.

Andrew could tell his best friend was angry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey bud, why don't you walk with me to the breakfast table?" Darien silently stood and began to walk towards the breakfast bar with Andrew close behind. "Soo… how did you do it?" His green eyes focused on Darien's carefully. "You didn't really…"

"No, I didn't. Remember the guy I saved Raye from? I took the Rohypnol from him and dosed Serena with it." Andrew smiled broadly with appreciation and chuckled lightly. "I'm not proud of it Drew." He drawled which quieted the blonde.

"Well, the good news is that she's okay and Jed didn't steal her innocence over a stupid bet." Andrew offered then quieted as they spotted Serena groggily piling eggs on her plate.

Darien raked his eyes over the girl, images of her nude body filling his mind and playing dirty tricks on him. Despite the fact that she looked exhausted and almost hung over she seemed fine. She lazily grabbed the tongs for the bacon then suddenly seemed to look up at him. Their eyes connected, she blushed, and put the tongs down then began to move away.

"No bacon Meatball head? That's your favorite part I thought." He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about berating her in front of his friends. He didn't care what she ate. "I can't help but munch down at least five strips of the stuff."

"Well, you were right. I need to be a little better about what I eat. I'm overweight as it is." She longingly looked at the large pile of bacon then back to him. It broke his heart to see her eyes like that.

"Doctor's orders." He reached forward and picked up the tongs himself. "From now on, I want you to eat as much bacon as you see fit. You're not overweight, you're just perfect." With that he grabbed a large bunch of the crispy meat and released it into her plate. "Do I make myself clear?"

"I um… but… th… thank you." She finally relented and smiled slightly. The healthy blush in her cheeks made her even more alluring than he imagined possible. "For last night too. The girls told me you were the one to see me safely to my room." Then looked down and took a deep breath. "I must have been pretty drunk, I don't even remember getting undressed."

"Well, that's what happens when you're a light weight I guess." Darien smiled then grabbed his own breakfast plate. "Maybe I'll see you later? That is if Jed or the girls don't have you booked for the day?"

"Oh, no!" She gasp then glanced towards Jed. "I guess he and Raye are sort of an item now. I suppose you were right about that too. Not too many guys who actually like me for me I guess." She then slightly hung her head and excused herself to go back to her table.

"Feel like a dick now, don't you?" Andrew cut in curtly and smiled as Darien glared at him. "Well, you've been a real ass to her, and don't think that Jed was the only one eyeing her. I've seen some guys scoping her out. If you're going to win her over you need to do it fast Dare."

* * *

My breakfast was ruined. What the hell was going on with Jerk face anyway? Last night he was overly charming, sexy, and sweet. Then, to add insult to injury he was the same way at the breakfast bar. Oh, dear God help me! I wanted him and in some, sick and twisted way I had half hoped it was him who'd undressed me last night. I mean, I only had one drink! How can I black out and not remember anything from one drink?

Then there was Jed, that son of a bitch wasn't interested in me. What was I thinking? Shoving a piece of bacon in my mouth I pondered what I was going to do now. Amy had met Darien's friend Zoicite in the reading room last night and stayed up discussing books and scholarly articles with the man. Mina had jumped Malachite's bones, Lita was oogling Nephrite, and Raye and Jed were paling around now. I had no one now. Then again, Jerk face had sort of asked if I'd spend the day with him… nah, I just imagined it.

"Meatball head, breakfast is over you know?" I snapped my head up and noticed everyone was gone save for the two of us. He sat in the chair next to me with an amused smile on his gorgeous face. "Need help finishing the plate off?" He reached over and grabbed one of the bacon strips he'd placed on my plate and took a bite. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine… and don't touch my prescription jack ass!" I snapped and covered my plate with my hands making him laugh heartily. In all my twenty two years I've never heard anything more alluring and beautiful then that laugh.

"Okay, okay." He chuckled then quieted himself. "You know, I never meant to be mean."

His words made my heart stop. Was that an apology? No F-ing way!

"What would you say about exploring the ship and then heading for the Karaoke room tonight? Could be fun to make fun of and insult other people together." Darien's eyes seemed to bore into mine. Oh God, he was so amazing, and something about his proposal was endearing to say the least. "So what do you say Serena?"

With a nod I quickly downed the rest of my breakfast and stood. We were both a quiet as we walked to the doors leading out into the hall and for once, I didn't feel awkward around him. There was something about the way he carried himself that calmed me. Then again, I was also beginning to feel a little nervous. Despite the fact that I was fairly happy about this new development, the sudden shift in his behavior made me giddy.

"So, I see that your friends have latched onto my friends." I offered with a slight smile. He nodded then frowned slightly as if he was concerned about something. "I sort of feel sorry for Malachite. Mina is a handful."

"I wouldn't worry about Mal too much. He's a tough one. I'll be surprised if Mina manages to pull any sort of emotion out of that block of steel." Darien smirked and turned his blue eyes on me. "My friends aren't necessarily the most innocent men around as far as intentions. That's why I'm a little perturbed by Jed's sudden interest in Raye. You can handle Jed. With the way you've been ripping into me for the past eight years I know you're capable of withstanding his advances. Raye on the other hand; is more of a romantic idealist. Besides, she was almost raped in the hall the other night and she's vulnerable right now. Jed is not above using that as an advantage." His tone was so matter-of-fact it worried me. He honestly believed that Jed was a no good hound dog.

"Is that why you were persistently hitting on me? To try and get me away from Jed and distract me?" I suddenly thought to ask. Sure, I was slightly flattered that finally I was receiving some attention from him but not if it was simply a ruse. I wanted Amy's hypothesis to be correct. I wanted him to like me.

"I wasn't hitting on you." He simply stated which made me stop mid-stride. He stopped as well and turned to look at me with a soft expression. "Jed was hitting on you. I was simply trying to catch your attention."

"So you admit it! The way you were suggestive with me in the hallway and dancing with me on the dance floor was a way to keep Jed away? To grab my attention?" I felt my face reddening with anger and for once, he didn't appear to be smugly happy about it. He seemed slightly concerned. "You really are a piece of work you know that? For a brief moment I thought that maybe you were trying to be nice and treat me like a fellow human being but no! No, you just can't stand the idea that maybe, you're wrong about me. Maybe someone actually finds me attractive. So what if Jed just wanted into my bed, he paid attention to me and made me feel good about myself!" I balled my fists and pushed them against my legs. "You know what Darien, screw off, go and find some other idiot to spend the day with. I'm not interested!"

"Serena!" He attempted to catch my attention as I started to stomp off. "Damn it meatball head, stop making so many assumptions!" He easily matched my angry strides and was walking beside me. "You completely misunderstood me." He reached a hand out and grasp mine easily capturing it within his. "I was afraid you might ignore me. I wanted to catch your attention because I am genuinely interested in you. I have been for a long time. I've just been too stupid to recognize it for what it was."

I stopped and stared at him dumbly. He really needed to stop doing this to me! One second he seems like an asshole then the next he's blowing me out of the water with statements like that. How's a girl supposed to stay sane around him any who? "What?" I managed to gasp out.

He smiled and stepped closer to me, his scent invading my nose and lulling me into some sort of trance. "When I saw you that first night in the dance room I was… breath-taken. Jed was drooling at you like one of Pavlov's Dogs. I swear it was like Tex Avery had drawn him." I smiled at that. Ah, that darn wolf with the exploding eyeballs. "Anyway, he started talking about you as if you were some sort of, I don't know, prize to be won. As if you were just some girl to sleep with and that was that. It pissed me off to no end. I didn't understand it then. I've always thought I disliked you, and even though I've gone out of my way to know almost everything about you, I truly thought that I hated you. When Jed started talking like that though, I began to realize something different. I care about you, and if I don't clean up my act, I might lose you to someone else." His confession was heartfelt and as he spoke his eyes began to lighten and let through some of the glitter that I knew had been hiding for so very long. "So, I offer, do you want to spend the day with me?"

"What the hell am I supposed to say to that?" I snapped nastily in an attempt to hide my new found school-girl crush. He simply looked at me perplexed. "I mean, what answer can I give other than Yes. You've completely decimated any hope of my saying no to that question… and I hate you for it." I added and began to walk down the hall again.

"Too bad. I'm rather proud of the fact that for once, I've rendered you incapable of arguing with me. It's refreshing." His white teeth seemed to gleam as he smiled his satisfied smile and offered me his arm. "I'll escort you to your room so you may gather your bathing suit and whatever else you may need for a day of fun aboard a cruise ship."

I simply shook my head at this and thread my arm through his. When he wasn't being an ass he was really rather… charming. We then continued on our way and as we continued to walk, I felt my senses beginning to go a little haywire. I was beginning to get aroused and I had only been near him a manner of minutes! My God, I was beginning to get pathetic.

Then again, I'm not sure what the normal response should be in such a situation. The man had just confessed that he loved me… well, inadvertently, but still! How could I not get all hot and bothered about this?

"Here you are. I'll wait here for you then we can stop at my room for my swim trunks." When he said this I thought my heart about stopped. We were going swimming in the pool. He was going to see me in my bikini and I was going to see him shirtless. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I had always suspected he was one gorgeous hunk of muscle under those clothes but I'd never seen it. Suddenly the possibility was overwhelming me. "Are you feeling alright? You're spacing out a little more than normal." He placed one of his large hands on my forehead and frowned. "How much did you drink last night?"

"Just one drink." I replied quickly and entered my room as fast as possible. Amy and Zoicite were in the room reading a book together. It was cute and alarming at the same time. "Amy, can I borrow your swim suit?" I suddenly blurted out causing them both to jump and look at me alarmed.

"Wh… why?" She seemed to regain herself and scooted away from Zoicite slightly as if I had caught her making out with the guy. "What's wrong with your suit?" Zoicite seemed to smile slightly, his eyes almost laughing at my expression.

"Nothing, I just, I don't want to wear a white bikini today." I offered innocently hoping Amy would relent and lend me the damned suit. "Please Ames?"

"Sorry Serena. I plan to use my suit today. You should have thought about not wanting to wear it before we embarked on this trip." She returned her eyes to the book as Zoicite continued to look at me. His expression told me that he knew why I didn't want to wear it and at the same time, he found this amusing.

"I heard it's quite a nice suit, that it compliments you well. Besides, I hardly see why you'd be shy about wearing it now when you clearly weren't the other day." He pointed out with an approving nod from Amy.

Oh God! What the hell was I going to do now… maybe I wasn't feeling well. Maybe I should cancel my day with hunk face. I felt my cheeks redden from the suddenly new nickname I'd come up with. "Look I just… so no leniency with the whole suit thing?" I made one last appeal to Amy who simply shook her head. "Fine." I sighed and grabbed my suit from its hiding place and pouted my way into the bathroom. The entire time I was undressing and putting on the small suit I cursed myself.

Stepping out of the bathroom I simply ignored the couple cozying down to their book, and walked out to greet the man waiting for me in the hall. He was leaning against the wall but quickly pushed off of it and smiled. "I was worried I might have to come in after you."

"Funny." I gave him a fake laugh then stuck my tongue out. He smirked then offered his arm again. Right as I threaded my arm through his, Jed walked around the corner. The moment his green eyes hit me he smiled broadly then focused his eyes on Darien and winked. Darien's reaction was to pull me a little closer to him.

"Well well well, so the rumors are true." He fixed his eyes on me. "I'm shocked."

"What rumors? What are you talking about?" I snapped at him with anger evident in my voice. What the hell was up with these men today?

"Let's just ignore him." Darien offered in an edgy voice and quickly pulled me away from the blonde trouble maker. "His mind is spinning is all. I mean, we did leave the dance floor together last night. I think he's making up tales."

"Well, EXCUSE ME!" I couldn't help but pull my arm away from Darien. I did NOT want Jed running around telling everyone I had slept with Darien! I hadn't! "I'm going to go and set his ass straight right now!"

"Serena, just let him talk. No one will believe him." Something in Darien's voice calmed me. He had a point. Who would believe such a thing? Darien and I had been enemies for many years. It would take a hell of a lot more to convince anyone that we had spent a night together.


	5. Truth Revealed

This is going to hurt... bad! REVIEW!

* * *

5

Truth Revealed

Darien calmly walked me down the hallway until he stopped at his room. "You can come in and wait. I won't be long." He then opened the door and ushered me into the amazing looking suite. I could hardly believe it! I was standing in what looked like a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a balcony, a kitchen and a dinette, then a staircase that led to a bedroom. The entire thing was extravagant.

"My goodness Darien! What in the world did this cost?" I gaped at the room before remembering my manners. I promptly shut my open mouth and adjusted my clothes.

"Does it matter? I'm a little picky about my personal space." He then shrugged and raced up the stairs to the bedroom. I could hear him opening drawers and pulling things out before everything went quiet. Walking to the balcony I sighed and watched the water glisten under the sun. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He interrupted my thoughts making me turn towards him. He seemed at peace as he looked out over the water with me it was an interesting side of him that I hadn't seen until now.

"Yes, very beautiful. So, what did you have in mind first for the day?" I prompted him while turning away from the sea and towards the living room. "I have to say, I'm a little surprised that you know the definition of the word fun."

"I looked it up this morning." He grinned and easily strode past me and to the door. "Webster's was a little vague as to what exactly constitutes as fun but, I think I get the concept. You'll forgive me if I misunderstand, correct?" I couldn't help but smile broadly at his witty remark. He certainly was the most intelligent man I knew, yet, simultaneously he was by far the most idiotic as well.

"Come on Meatball head. Let's hit the pool." He opened the door and offered his arm. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as we walked down the hallway and towards the pool. I was overly nervous, that was obvious.

We arrived at the pool and bit my lip as I realized we were the only two interested in swimming at this hour of the day. Just wonderful, I was about to be practically naked, in a pool, with Darien freaking Shields! I turned towards him just in time to witness him peel off his shirt revealing the most sculpted male body I had ever seen, real or imaginary! His tanned skin and rippling muscles make me want to maul him.

I admired the way the sun shone on his beautiful torso then quickly stripped down to my own bathing suit. As I turned back to Darien a saw him move his eyes off of me quickly and jumped into the pool. With a confident smile I followed suit and jumped in as well.

The water felt great and as I surfaced I let out a loud sigh and moved my bangs out of my eyes. "Swimming stimulates almost every muscle in your body. Did you know that?" I jumped as his voice pulled me out of my own thoughts. He was so close!

"N… no! I didn't know that." I smiled to try and hide my surprise. Not that I really minded him being so close, I had gotten pretty close on the dance floor.

"Well, it does. It's a great work out." He smiled and swam around me gracefully. "I'm glad you agreed to spend the day with me. I'm hoping to prove that I'm not a jerk." He then touched my nose and splashed me.

"You are too a jerk!" I screeched and splashed him back eliciting a roar of laughter that made me shiver at the base of my spine. Good God, I needed to distance myself from this man before I wound up in his grand suite naked.

We splashed one another much like children playing in the summer it wasn't until we heard someone clear their throat that we stopped. Looking up from Darien I blushed as I saw Amy and Zoicite standing at one end of the pool with smiles on their face. "Hey Ames." I then distanced myself from Darien a little.

"Hello Serena. Looks like you chose the perfect swimsuit for today. I love how that bikini shows off your curves so nicely." The twinkle in her eyes told me all I needed to know about her seriousness. She was amusing herself internally with my previous desperateness to not wear my suit. Amy was far from mean but in my opinion she gained a notch in that ranking.

"I agree with you whole-heartedly Amy. Serena looks lovely in her suit I don't understand why she would want to borrow yours." I heard Darien chuckle and felt my cheeks turn a brilliant red. I was going to kill those book worms!

"If there's some problem with your suit we can get you a new one. They do have a little store on the ship you know?" Darien grinned and winked at me. "I'll come with you to pick one out if you want help picking one out."

"Oh I'm sure you'd just love that wouldn't you Jerk face?" I snapped and did my best to march over to the side of the pool. I know I looked ridiculous and at the same time I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of the pool and away from Darien. I didn't need his teasing and I really didn't need Amy's teasing either.

"You're not getting away so easily." Darien laughed and grabbed me around the waist then pulled me against him and began tickling me. I laughed so hard it was difficult to breathe. When he finally stopped I found myself facing him with my hands pressed against his washboard abs. "Sorry, I had to do that."

I faintly heard Amy giggle lightly and pushed away from the hot hunk in front of me. "Yeah, well, forgive me. I have to do this." I punched him once were my hands had previously been and smiled as he jerked forward slightly.

"That wasn't very nice Serena." Amy scolded and shook her head at me as I moved past her and to the pool ladder. Climbing out I grabbed my clothes and began to march into the interior of the ship. Oh, I knew he'd follow me. Hell, I wanted him to follow me. If I was going to spend time with him I wanted to do it without our friends' influences.

"Smooth exit." He laughed and practically skipped beside me. "You almost had me convinced that time." He was quiet for a little bit then shook his head. "Why were you asking Amy if you could borrow her suit?"

"I was bashful okay?" I huffed and hoped he would drop the subject. Of course, he wouldn't.

"Why? It's just me." I didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking with pure male satisfaction.

Men, they're so damn smug! Not to mention seemingly clueless. Just him, that's laughable. For the longest time the idea of just him would make me squirm. Now he was right beside me and I was feeling overly insecure. Of course, that happened every time I was near him. I'd trip over my own feet, say something completely idiotic, or just be… I don't know how to describe it.

"Hey, hold up for a moment." He stopped me by placing one of his strong hands on my shoulder and turning me towards him. "You don't need to be bashful around me. In fact, I think it would be good for you if we got you into the swimsuit store. Let's go." He urged and motioned down the hall. "Can't have you running around uncomfortable, that's for sure.

I simply nodded and allowed him to direct us to the swimsuit shop on board the ship. No kidding! The place was packed with suits of all shapes and sizes. The price tags were fairly similar though, expensive. Standing amidst the sea of suits I felt my heart begin to pitter patter as Darien smoothly strolled towards a rack of suits and raked his eyes over them.

The subtleties of his face told me whether he liked the suits or not. The way his eyebrows quirked ever so slightly, or his lips would pull at the corners told me all I needed to know about his tastes. I had never noticed before but this man was definitely a man of fine taste.

Another sweep of his eyes and he had plucked four suits off of various racks and was walking towards me with them firmply in his hands. "Okay, so, choices." He then separated them out and showed each one to me. "First, the one piece, always recommended because it's harder for some wise ass to accidentally untie it." He smiled then flipped it around. "Of course, it's fully lined and padded slightly in the breast area. The back is fully open. This one is white but they have it in pink." He then handed it to me and moved onto the next one. "A two piece halter-esque bikini suit. Though it would complement you well it's close to what you have already. This one is lined a little better though. They have it in practically every color." He then handed this one to me and held up the last one. "Finally, the tank and shorts style. Not as sexy as the other two but practical." He then handed that one to me and crossed his arms showing off his muscles. "Have a favorite?"

"I… um…" I stumbled and blushed a little. He was good at this. Too good in fact. "You're the guy." I finally shrugged.

"You're right." He nodded and took each one back from me. "That means you have to try them on." He called over his shoulder, and motioned for me to follow. I cautiously made may way towards him and soon found myself in the dressing room trying on the suits.

Sure as hell, each one fit perfectly and I was having a hard time choosing. The one piece made me look like some sort of swimsuit model. It was sexy and yet very conservative. Damn that man! The others were just as flattering of course.

"I like them all." I announced and stepped out in my clothes.

"Then you get all of them." He smiled and grabbed them from me as I was about to look at the price tag. "That would ruin it meatball head."

"Yeah." I heard Mina coo from behind me. Spinning around I found her grinning from ear to ear. "Ooh, he's buying you swimsuits now? Isn't that a third date sort of thing?" She winked at me suggestively. "Not that I blame you at all. I'm just a little, surprised."

"Okay…" I hesitated as she chuckled a little. "He's just being nice."

"I'm sure. You were pretty nice to him as I hear it." She laughed and winked. "I'm happy for you. Really I am. I thought you two would never get together."

Okay, first Jed, then Amy and Zoicite, now Mina? What the hell was going on with everyone today? It's like this cruise had brain washed them or something. Just because I danced with him once and he took me to my room when I had a headache did not mean we had sex!

I was about to say just that when Darien came back. "Mina." He nodded then smiled at me. "I heard that you and Mal are getting rather cozy." He reported to the vivacious blonde in front of me. She blushed a little and nodded. It was odd to see her blush, yet it was strangely becoming for her.

"I hear you two are getting pretty cozy as well." She grinned widely at me and winked.

"Look! I don't know what you all think but whatever it is you can forget it! Darien and I are simply hanging out with one another while the eight of you are busy oogling one another!" I couldn't help but snap at her. I hated feeling like all my friends had suddenly turned against me but that's how I felt.

Spinning around I began to stomp out of the store and could hear Darien in quick pursuit. When he did catch up he walked silently alongside me with the bag of swim suits in his hand. Suddenly, His rather sweet gesture of buying me those suits seemed… tainted or something. With all of my friends starting to get the wrong impression I wasn't sure I could wear the suits.

"Stupid Mina. Where does she get off?" I stopped and turned to Darien. If there was one person I could yell at it was him. "It's like everyone is going crazy! I mean, we danced once! Was that so wrong?"

Darien seemed to mull something around for a moment then turned his midnight blue eyes on me. "As I said, people talk. They don't even need a solid reason to talk, they just do. I think that the possibility of us actually having a relationship surprises them and so they're jumping to conclusions."

"Yeah, but Amy? Amy never does this sort of thing." I affirmed to myself and hung my head a little.

"Besides, what's so bad about them thinking that. Let them. We know the truth and that's what matters." He offered. Now, I know he was trying to be nice and all however, he hadn't taken into consideration all of the stakes here. I wasn't about to tell him that I was a virgin but let's face it, my friends thinking I gave it up to my long time nemesis doesn't bode well for me now does it?

"I have my reasons okay? I don't want them thinking that we're… more than what we are. I just can't deal with that sort of thing right now okay?" I sighed and leaned against the wall. "I shouldn't have come on this trip. I mean, why am I here? I'm not planning on just hooking up with random guys which is apparently what you do on these boats."

"I got roped into this by the guys. Andrew and Rita were going on this cruise because they have a somewhat open relationship and the others decided it was a good idea. They told me I should go too to meet some girls. They don't seem to realize that I tend to try and avoid girls as much as possible. I know you haven't noticed but they do tend to flock after me." He smiled slightly. "I wasn't going to go, then last minute, I changed my mind. I got my huge private suite and decided that if nothing more, I get to see some nice scenery and dock at some nice ports. Then I spotted this hot little number on the dance floor and realized there was a reason I came here."

You'd damn well bet my innards were going gooey at that. What an asshole, seriously, if he had shown one ounce of decency over the past couple of years I wouldn't be here with my mouth about to unhinge.

"Well, can't say as though I had the same experience. There is this one guy though who's been following me around lately. He's sort of sweet, and overly good looking." I winked at him and began to walk down the hall again."

The day went by with Darien and I spending it together. I was amazed by how large the place actually was, and even more amazed by the VIP sections that Hunk face got us into. Of course, with his VIP card, it was no stretch of the imagination that we were treated like royalty.

After dinner Darien drug me to the karaoke room where three teen girls were singing a spice girls song (poorly I might add). We sat down and Darien immediately started in with his typical jerk face comments.

"I hope they realize they're embarrassing themselves." He chuckled and picked up the water glass the waitress brought him. "It's somewhat concerning."

"Well, at least they have the courage to go up there and sing something. You certainly wouldn't." I challenged and watched that all to familiar smirk spread across his face. You know the one, the one that say's he's about to prove me wrong.

"You don't think so huh Meatball head? I'll go up there and two songs even, just to prove you wrong." I couldn't help but stare at him with an amused smile. Darien Shields would never do such a thing… ever.

"Okay, prove me wrong." I laughed and motioned to the stage.

"Fine, I will. Don't come complaining to me though when all the women in here start to swoon." With that he stood up and approached the crew member who was in charge of the karaoke.

In a few short moments Darien was on stage and I heard a collective sigh from the audience. Asshole. He smiled and stepped up to the mic.

"Okay, so, I'd like to do two songs for you all tonight. The first one is fun and the second is just one of my favorites." He then nodded at the guy running the equipment and the song from Men in Black started playing (the one with Will Smith. If you don't know it, look it up).

I felt my face go red as he pulled his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket and put them on. Then the show began and I couldn't help but fell embarrassed and amazed at him all in one. He was amazingly good at singing the song, and dancing to it. As he continued people started to sing and dance along, others started cheering.

The cheers and cat calls made me realize something. I had been ignoring this, amazingly talented, smart guy for far too long! I'm going to go even further and say that Darien could very well be the perfect man.

When the last note sounded he smiled and bowed then prepared for the next song. This time he sang Feeling Good (pick your singer. Michael Bublé if no one else). It was perfect! By the time he was finished I was so embarrassed and frustrated. A- He totally proved me wrong. B- I was seriously starting to fall for this guy. That right! My enemy for Christ's sake!

"Well Meatball head?" He grinned as he came back to the table.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I exclaimed and jumped up. "How could you… ugh! I hate you!" My tone was a little harsher than I intended but damn him! I didn't want to fall for him. I didn't want to know he was a real human being! Much less a perfect one! "I'm tired, I need to go to bed."

"It's only nine." He knitted his brow as he followed me out into the hall. "If you need to retire I'll gladly walk you…"

"No! I don't need you to walk me to my room. I'm good!" I quickly distanced myself from him. I needed time to myself to objectively look at this. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly, one day I hated him and now… well I don't hate him now. That's for sure.

Making my way to my room I quickly went in and closed the door. Turning around I found all four of the girls waiting for me. Three had large grins and one wore a look of sadness. "Um… Hi?" I smiled.

"Serena, we need talk." Raye cleared her throat and stood. This prompted the girls to lean forward with interest. "It's come to our attention that you and Darien have been…"

"You did the nasty!" Mina exclaimed and clapped excitedly. "Details! I want details!"

I let my mouth fall open this time as all the girls nodded in unison. "WHAT?" I shouted. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Don't try and deny it." Raye snapped. "We know the truth."

"Truth? The only truth is that you four have snapped. Totally bonkers! I did not have sex with that man!" I was going to set this straight right now! "Why would you think that?"

"Because you did. Jed told me all about it." Raye crossed her arms. "I'm just upset that you didn't' tell me you were interested in Darien. I mean, you've liked him for all this time and…"

"No I haven't. And as far as Jed goes, I don't' know why he thinks that but he's wrong." I snapped. "I didn't have sex with Darien. That's final! In fact, I'll go and set Jed straight right now." I pivoted on my heels and stormed through the door and the halls until I came upon Jed's room.

Pounding on the door I waited for him to answer. When he did I walked past him and into the room. "How can I help you?" He chuckled.

"Why are you spreading false rumors about Darien and I?" I snapped and growled as he laughed heartily.

"Serena, no one cares. Look, the charade's up okay? You can admit it. I already know the truth. Darien told me himself." He smiled at me.

"What?" I asked him, not entirely sure I heard him right. Did he just say Darien told him that?

"Yeah, Darien told me all about it. He even showed me the proof. I mean, it's okay. We're happy for you two."

"Proof?" I felt myself pale. What was going on here? "I would remember having sex with him. I swear to you Jed, I didn't have sex with him!" As I spoke his smile evaporated and was replaced with a look of concern. "What?"

"Stop joking with me. I'm getting a little pissed right now." He warned me, his green eyes lightening so they looked dangerous. "You're telling me you didn't have sex with him? Then how, pray tell, did he manage to get a pair of your panties and a picture of you topless, in bed, with your hair down?"

I racked my brain on that one. How indeed? As I thought I suddenly felt sick and sat down on Jed's bed. "Oh God…" I breathed I wrapped my arms around myself. "Jed, I honestly, I… I didn't… I really didn't have sex with him… that I know of."

"That slimy son of a bitch! All for a stupid bet. He raped you for a bet!" Jed suddenly yelled angrily. The outburst shocked me beyond belief! Rape? You'd think I'd remember that. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"_Rohypnol is more commonly known as a Rooffy?" He raised his eyebrows. "The date rape drug?" He sighed and put the bottle back into his pocket. "It could have been you." He said simply and turned away._

I felt myself hyperventilating. That bastard! Here I was just beginning to see the nice guy in him and now…

"I'm going to kill him!" Jed stormed out of the room. I simply sat there with my arms around myself, staring at the ground. What else could I do? I had just learned I was raped… and what was worse, was that I had fallen for him, I was in love with a man who stold my innocence.


	6. Leave Me Alone

Yeah yeah, I know, really really short chapter. but **REVIEW **okay?

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6

Leave Me Alone

I couldn't believe this! One night spent with him on the dance floor and he'd drugged me and done something unthinkable. I had known him for so long and never, in my wildest dreams had I imagined such a thing happening to me. Of course, this revelation came as a surprise. Darien was a jerk but he wasn't THAT bad of a jerk… right?

* * *

Jed stormed down the hall with his fists balled and his face contorted with anger. How had ne not pieced this together? Serena would never sleep with Darien that easily! Not to mention Darien hated to lose and had access to Rohypnol. He'd known the dark haired man for so many years and for the jackass to pull this now was unforgivable. Especially when everyone was rooting for Darien to win the poor girl over!

Coming upon the desired door Jed pound loudly and waited for Darien to answer. "Open up you son of a bitch!" He shouted and readied for the confrontation. He wasn't an idiot. He knew Darien wouldn't be an easy target.

Opening the door Darien grunted as Jed swung his fist landing a punch square with Darien's jaw. "What the hell? Are you crazy or something?" Darien shouted and glared at his attacker.

"You're so low!" Jed shouted and went to swing again only to hit air as Darien easily avoided the punch. "How could you do that to her?" He growled and tackled Darien onto the floor.

The two wrestled until Darien managed to subdue his long-time friend and recover from the shock of Jed's outburst. Only then did he begin to ask questions. "What is the matter with you?"

"I'm pissed!" Jed growled and managed to free himself from Darien's grasp and punched the larger man in the stomach. The blow barely affected the man but Jed didn't care. He carried on, each punch being deflected or avoided until he was too tired to continue. "You… I know… what you did." He breathed heavily and rested his hands on his knees.

"What are you talking about?" Darien knit his brow and glanced at the door as Andrew ran in with a concerned look on his face. "Jed?"

"You drugged her, then you took advantage of her." Jed bit and glared at Darien. His green eyes were burning with fury. "I never thought you would go so low Darien. Did you think we wouldn't find out?"

"What else was I supposed to do? You wouldn't let up and you had this stupid bet going. I couldn't let you just use her and lose her." Darien defended his actions just as Andrew motioned for him to shut up.

"So you admit it! You raped her!" Jed shouted.

"What? NO! I just took a picture and stole her… you thought… how… why would you think I would do that?" Darien stuttered then suddenly grew slightly panicked.

"You've been infatuated with her for too long Darien. You had the opportunity and you took it! You honestly expect me to believe that you had that gorgeous woman in front of you, on a bed, and didn't rape her? I won't believe that." Jed once again lunged at his friend, this time colliding with Darien's fist. The blonde fell to the ground unconscious.

"He told Serena." Andrew supplied with a worried tone. "She believes you… you know."

With those words Darien rushed out of the room and to Jed's room. How could he be so stupid? Of course that would be their first assumption! Bursting into Jed's room he saw Serena immediately jump off of the bed and back into the corner. Anger and fear oozed from her eyes. "Serena…"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed so loud it hurt his ears. The way she scrambled away from him made his heart ache.

"Wait. Please, listen to what I have to say first. Please?" Darien appealed to her with outstretched hands. "I didn't do what you think. I swear to you I didn't." He knelt on the ground to show submission and looked into her scared eyes. "I would never do that."

"Then explain to me how I only have one drink, then I'm waking up the next morning practically naked and suddenly you tell your friends we had sex and you have a photo and my panties. Tell me how that happens." She shot angrily. "Not to mention, Jed said something about a bet?"

Darien sighed before continuing. "I'll admit. It doesn't look good. The bet was something Mal started. He had Jed and I in a contest to see… who could bed you first. I didn't want to do it but I couldn't let Jed just use you and lose you. I couldn't. So I agreed and staged it so that's what it looked like. I admit I drugged you, undressed you, stole your underwear and took a picture but that's all and any physical examination done by a doctor can confirm it. You still have your innocence Serena. I know what I did is despicable but I did it to protect you."

"Bull shit." She spat angrily and balled her fists. "You did it to impress your friends. You did it to make me feel like a stupid, pathetic, meatball head. I can't believe I was starting to like you!" She tried to hold back the tears that started to threaten her eyes. "Of course, I should have known that you were playing me for an idiot."

Darien's eyes connected with hers so quickly she wondered if he was part robot. "Serena, I honestly never wanted to embarrass you or hurt you in any way. I meant what I said when I told you I was interested in you." The way Serena's face twisted with disbelief made him wilt slightly. "If I could take it back I would. I just couldn't let Jed…"

"Just shut up. All of your smooth talking may work with other chicks but not this one. Whether you did or didn't violate me in that way you certainly did in another! And how dare you just assume that Jed would succeed in his sick little ploy! Or is it that you think I'm such an easy target that I'm just going to lay down for anyone who comes along?" Serena had moved into her furious stance, her eyes burned with anger that would have made Hades shake in his toga.

"I didn't know what your motives were. You're on this boat aren't you?" It was Darien's turn to be angry now. "Do you have any idea just how many men would love to get their hands on you? How very convincing they can be when they set their mind to getting you in bed? Let me tell you something, I KNOW how convincing they can be. I have a whole group of friends who are experts on the subject. And yes, I did think that Jed was going to succeed." Darien then sighed heavily. "Look, I love you, and I couldn't just… stand aside while Jed ruined the whole dating experience for you."

"Right, so, what you're saying is that you couldn't let me make my own choice. You just couldn't handle the fact that maybe, someone else might screw me first!" She screamed.

Darien narrowed his eyes at her and stood up. "If I wanted to screw you, I would have a long time ago. That's not my intention, and for you to say that to me speaks volumes about how you feel about me." Turning from her he quickly left Jed's room and proceeded to his own suite where Andrew was anxiously waiting for his return.

"So?" He jumped off of the couch and observed his longtime friend. "Darien?" He attempted again as Darien marched into the suite and into the bathroom with a deafening slam of the door. With caution, Andrew approached and knocked on the object softly. "Darien, want to talk about it?"

"No. Get out." Were the only words spoken from the other side of the door. The tone in which they were said made Andrew shake with uncertainty. As he stepped away from the bathroom he heard a few more words. "And take Jed with you."

* * *

Returning to my room I lay on my bed with my back towards the girls. Everything was quiet until I felt the mattress depress next to me and a hand was placed on my shoulder. "Serena?"

"Just leave me alone." I suddenly cried as the well of tears I was holding back erupted. Instead of retreating I felt the other girls crowd around me and suddenly their hands were on me rubbing my back. "Just go away." I pathetically cried.

"Serena, what happened?" Amy asked delicately as I felt her hand brush my bangs from my face.

"What did he do? I'll kill him good if he so much as harmed a hair on your head. I'll…" Lita stopped her speech with a slight grunt as someone elbowed her in the stomach.

The room fell into silence again as I lay there crying. Why was I so upset? If anything I should feel relieved that Jed's conclusion was wrong! Instead, here I am bawling my eyes out. Of course that's when it occurred to me. I was upset because I felt betrayed, violated, not really, taken advantage of? Nope. I felt betrayed by the one man I could always count on.

Let me explain that little sentence. In all the years I have known Darien, he's been very consistent. We ran into one another at the same time every morning in the same place. He would come into the arcade at the same time every day, throw out the same insults, and we would fight. He was the only man in my life I could count on to be one hundred percent consistent. There were no surprises with him. Then of course he had to go and ruin that on this trip. This last happening was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Oh God, when had I fallen for him so fully? When had I decided that he wasn't an enemy? It was far before this cruise or else this wouldn't hurt so badly.

A day passed without me leaving the room. Amy was nice enough to bring me food and make sure I was all right. I think she actually liked it in a way because it gave her an excuse to stay in and read.

"Amy?" I asked her gently as she scrambled to my side. "Do you think… that Darien… actually cared about me? I mean truly cares?"

"Absolutely." She nodded enthusiastically and sat next to me. "I know that what he did wasn't the best thing to do but you have to look at the gesture behind the action. It takes someone special to protect a woman's honor instead of take it." Amy reasoned. "Andrew said he hasn't come out of his room and he's not talking. Whatever you fought about must have hit him hard."

"Yeah." I sighed. "I don't know what I should do now…"

"Well, you should get out of the room firstly. We're making port tomorrow to pick up some new people and drop off others. You know what that means, more fun." She chuckled. "At least try to go out tomorrow okay?" She asked then returned to her bed. I simply nodded and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up and went with the girls to breakfast. We dished up our plates then moved towards our usual table only to find a group of people already sitting there. Not being one to give up I proudly stalked to the table and placed my tray down. The man sitting in the middle looked up at me with amusement in his lavender eyes and smiled. "Sorry gentlemen, you're at our table."

As the man's eyes swept over me appreciatively I couldn't help but scowl. I couldn't wait to end this cruise.

"Well well, hello blue eyes. Name's Diamond. What's your name?" He stood and offered his hand for a handshake. Looking at his outstretched hand I raised an eyebrow and redirected my attention back to his eyes.

"It's none of your business." I snapped and crossed my arms. "So, kindly remove yourself from our table and there won't be an issue."

"Ah, had a bad night honey? I'm sorry, I'm sure I could make tonight better if you'll let me." He grinned as he flipped some of his silver hair out of his face. Just as I was about to give him a piece of my mind Jed interrupted and picked up my tray.

"Here, just come and sit with us. We all need to talk anyway." He offered. Though I was pretty pissed at Jed and his friends I couldn't help but follow him. The way Diamond was looking at me just wasn't right. Was that what Darien had meant? "Okay, so, first off… I'm so sorry. Our goal wasn't to split you and Darien apart it was to…"

"Jed. Please." I held up my hand and sat in between Lita and Raye who provided a protective barrier around me. "I don't want to hear your excuses. You were all wrong to make the bet, but he was the worst in what he did so, I don't want any apologies from you. I'm trying to work this out myself"


	7. Beware of the Pale One

A little longer this time. Let me know what you think!

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7

Beware of the Pale One

Okay, so I'll admit. After breakfast I went back to the room to resume my pity fest. Much to the girls' dismay I might add. I'm not totally sure why but for some reason my not mingling with others was a problem. Figures. Then of course, I couldn't stop thinking about Darien. Damn that man! Half of me wanted to forgive him, but the other half of me told me to suck it up and forget him.

Though I can somewhat see his twisted, sick, psychology; I know that his only motive was being whispered to him from his southern brain. Darien wanted to protect me only because he wanted me for himself. End of story. That my dearest inner monologue, is why I simply cannot forgive him easily. Sadly though, something within me is telling me to use him. Honestly, if there's one guy in the world I want to lose my virginity to it's him. Dear God I wish it weren't true but it is.

Was it possible? Could I be so heartless as to use him for such a purpose then leave forever? I'm not so sure but at the same time. Why should I care what effect it would have on him? He certainly used me in a roundabout way. I could return the favor.

Wow, what a concept. The forever, innocent, naïve me, purposefully losing my virginity to the womanizing Darien Shields. Oh yes! Don't think I don't know about that little skill of his. I've heard stories, seen a few women sulking around. I know he's just as skilled as his friends are in the art of bedding women. His little talk had sobered me up to just that fact. The point is, he is on this boat. He embarked on this trip to chase tail and I wasn't about to fall victim to any other idea.

Back to the plot at hand though. I have two weeks left on this cruise and I need to use the time well. After I get off this ship I'll be off to London to start my new life without him in it. I could do that. I know I can manage to get him to screw me at the end of the cruise then ta ta! See ya jerk face!

* * *

Darien sat at the table on his balcony with his head in his hands. He'd been stupid. Very, very stupid. After thinking about it, he knew she was right. He hadn't done anything to truly protect her. He'd simply preserved her for his own purposes. Damn is male instinct! Why couldn't his brain work in the way he wanted it to? There were so many other ways he could have approached this situation, first and foremost to just pound Jed into the ground for even looking at her.

Hind sight is twenty-twenty though and rehashing the past wasn't helping him to repair the here and now. Now, things were different in a way that scared him. He had no standing with her now. He knew she was sitting in her room, the guilt of letting herself fall victim to the whole plot weighing heavily on her. He didn't want that. He wanted her to be happy by his side.

Contemplating his best course of action he sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be overly difficult but perhaps he could rope her friends into helping him. The first place to start was Amy. If he could win her over then the others would be simple. Amy was the most intelligent of the group and by far the most conservative, she could reach Serena in a way the others couldn't.

With this in mind he left his room to search the bluenette out. Finding her in the reading room with Zoicite he motioned for his friend to leave them. Zoicite left the room with weary eyes but left nonetheless.

"I have nothing to say to you." Amy stated flatly without looking up. Her tone was cold and sent a shiver down his spine.

"Amy. I want to talk to you. I didn't do what you think I did I…"

"You took a bet and then made it look like you won it." She looked up at him, her blue eyes sharp and cold. "I know what you did to her. You're a fool Darien. I even paved a road for you and you just threw it all away. What do you have to show for it anyway? Nothing." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What's worse, is that your little stunt has finalized her plans to go to London. She would have stayed for you. I know she would have."

"That's what I'm trying to fix! I don't want her to leave. I want her to stay. You know I love her Amy, so help me to set this right." He practically begged the woman before him. "Please?"

"No. You have hurt her too many times. I won't be a part of your next deliberate attack on her." Amy stood and marched out of the reading room leaving Darien with a feeling of hopelessness. How was he going to do this if he couldn't even sway her friends?

* * *

Later that evening I decided to try to venture out again. If I was going to successfully enact my plan I needed to be out and about rather than sitting in my room. Besides, pining over men never got a girl anywhere anyhow.

As I walked down the hall towards the pool deck the man from breakfast appeared and smiled at me. Rolling my eyes I prepared to ignore him only to have him step in front of me. "Hey, I'm glad I've run into you again. I apologize for my actions earlier, I was trying to lighten the mood with a little bit of humor… at least what I thought was humor." His smile calmed me a little and I nodded.

"It's fine. I just hope that you don't do that again." My tone was that of a woman trying to dismiss him but for some reason he didn't seem to pick up on that fact.

"I would like to attempt to right my wrong… perhaps I can take you somewhere at the next port?" He offered nicely, his lavender eyes sparkling with hope. Something inside of me told me to say yes but a small voice nagged at me to tell him to screw off. I wasn't interested in playing "date me" with this guy. I was on a mission after all.

"I'm flattered however, I'm not interested." I placed my hands on my hips and looked at him as emotionlessly as I could. He only smiled at this.

"You know, nothing motivates a guy like competition." His mischievous grin made me want to laugh. He wasn't joking either! Darien had fallen all over himself trying to impress me when Jed was chasing after me.

That's when the light bulb lit up. "Pardon?" I asked feigning ignorance.

"Whoever the he is, nothing will motivate him more than seeing you with another guy." This man looked into my eyes as if to hypnotize me. His lavender orbs twinkled with a hint of gold as he raised an eyebrow. "Come dancing with me tonight and just see how quickly he takes interest."

"What makes you think there even is a guy?" I crossed my arms and noticed his eyes briefly dance across my chest. "Up here buddy."

"There's always a guy, and if not, then I'm willing to take the job." I couldn't help but smile at him. He was such a player but at the same time, sweet. "Just meet me tonight in the dance hall. If I haven't convinced you I'm not completely charming by the end of the night then I will leave you alone."

"Deal." I nodded and shook his hand on it. As I continued on my way to the pool I couldn't help but laugh at the interaction. He was charming to say the least. Of course, Darien was charming as well and look how far that got me.

Shaking Jerk Face from my mind I continued onto the pool and emerged into the bright sunlight. Sighing deeply I removed my bathing suit cover and stretched out on a deck chair. The sound of people playfully flirting and splashing in the pool made me reflect on Darien once again. The memory of him splashing me playfully made me smile.

"Well well. What do we have here? You're out and about?" Raye's voice washed over me and I cracked an eye open to see her staring down at me. "Mind if I join you?" She asked and pulled a chair close to mine.

She lay in the chair and closed her eyes with a smile then exhaled heavily. I knew she was going to strike up a conversation and I was just hoping it wouldn't be about a certain jerk I knew. "Where's Jed?" I ventured, hoping to distract her from her own thoughts.

"Oh, I imagine he's trying to find me right now." She chuckled then turned to me slightly. "I sort of like hiding from him. It's humorous to say the very least."

"I suppose." I sighed and turned my thoughts to tonight. Diamond, what type of guy was he? Was he really the kind of person I wanted to spend time with? I mean, I had a mission to accomplish.

What was I thinking, spending time with any male was going to help me accomplish my mission. Darien was clearly jealous of others being around me and this Diamond character seemed to be the perfect person to help me get under Jerk Face's skin.

"I say you forgive him." Raye suddenly stated and sat up to look at me. "I mean really, he didn't really do anything all that wrong. Besides, the fact that you and Jed jumped to a rape accusation when he'd saved me from that asshole was sort of harsh."

"Just leave it alone Raye, it's none of your business." I stated a little harsher that I wanted to. Her jaw dropped open a bit before she shut it and ground her teeth a little.

"None of my business? How can you say that? You've been in love with the guy for so long, the moment he does something slightly wrong you're flipping out on him! It's not fair to him, or to you for that matter. Just forgive him and move on." She snapped angrily.

"I am moving on." I stated flatly and nodded. "After this cruise I'm taking that job and buying a one way ticket to London. That way, I'll never have to deal with his shit again."

"He only picks on you because he loves you." Raye seemed to wilt a little. "Really Serena, you two were meant to be together." Her soft words made me rethink my position. Did I really want to give up just because he'd been a bit of an asshole? Was that really what I was going to do? Run? "I can't tell you what to do but I do think that it would be wise for you to just, I don't know, just give him another chance."

"We'll see. I have a date this evening so, I'm not going to be forgiving him today at least." I sighed and closed my eyes to soak up the sun once more. It was true. I wasn't going to forgive him today.

* * *

Walking into the dance hall I glanced around and spotted Diamond with his friends immediately. He seemed to notice me and quickly made his way to me. "You look stunningly beautiful my dear." He smiled and let his eyes scan over me with approval. I blushes slightly as his eyes fixed on mine once again. I was wearing the same outfit I had on the first night and as much as I hate to admit it, it was an attention grabber.

"Thank you Diamond." I smiled and turned towards the dance floor. "Shall we dance?" He nodded eagerly and took my hand in his in order to lead. Once on the dance floor we started to move together in a fast paced grinding-like fashion that was definitely turning him on. After a few songs I smiled slightly and began to pull him away from the grinding hoard only to have him pull me against him once again. I reluctantly danced the song and again began to move off of the floor.

"Trying to get away?" He mused breathily in my ear as he followed me.

"No, just trying to take a break." I offered and made my way to an empty booth so I could rest a bit. For some reason dancing with Diamond wasn't as fun as dancing with Darien, or even Jed for that matter. It seemed to be more of a chore. "I'm getting a little tired… how long have we been dancing?"

"About an hour." He grinned at me and sat so close to me his leg was plastered to mine. Smiling a bit I moved away a little. "Can I order you a drink of any sort?" He asked politely and moved closer to me once again and placed a hand on my knee.

"Um… no, I think I'm okay." I sighed and moved away again. He seemed to grunt and moved closer once more, this time his hand gripped my knee a little firmer. "Diamond." I simply looked at him. "I thought you were going to be charming tonight."

"I was going to be, until you showed up in that outfit, danced like that, then came over here." He grinned. "You're rather coy but I understand you." He winked and leaned closer to me, his lips grazed my shoulder slightly making me jump and move out of the booth.

"Okay, I think I'm going to retire now. Night." I almost yelped and began to walk towards the doors. As if he were a cheetah I could feel Diamond right behind me, my speed no match for his determination.

"Now wait just a damned minute!" He snapped and grabbed my wrist effectively spinning me towards him. "What are you playing at?"

"I'm sorry, I came here tonight expecting a nice evening with a charming gentleman and instead I wind up with a horny teenager." I stated flatly. "So, I don't find you charming. Night!" I began to walk away only to hear him growl and follow me. "Go on Diamond, bug some other girl."

"No, some other girl didn't get me all riled up!" He hissed and grabbed my wrist again and began to pull me down the hall. "You're the one who did it." He managed to back me into a corner and assaulted my lips with his. I struggled against him only to have him pull my hair harshly and press his body into mine.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out. I totally was! As his left hand grasp my rear end I gasp a little in stark realization. The gasp however, was slightly misinterpreted because I heard him chuckle a bit then his hand grasp at my dress, pulling it up slightly.

I felt myself going into shock as I realized exactly what was happening here. Diamond was going to have his way with me right here and no one seemed to even care!

When I felt his fingers move into my shorts I summoned the strength to push him off of me, my hair yanked against my scalp painfully as he stumbled back a bit but I ignored it and rushed past him. Hearing him growl irately I rushed down the hall trying to get my bearings. I knew I couldn't go back to my room because there was no one there. So, I ran to the nearest person I could think of.

Coming upon the desired door I pound on it feverishly and prayed the occupant would be inside. Diamond was closing in fast but finally the door opened. Without a word I rushed inside and slammed the door behind me. A few moments later and I could hear Diamond on the other side pounding on it.

"Very funny Serena! Get out here! We're not finished yet!" There was a hesitation then; "Damn it woman! Open up this fucking door! If you're going to act like a cock teaser then I'll treat you like one!"

It was in that moment that I felt strong hands move me aside and the door was yanked open violently. "You'll what?" I heard Darien hiss at the irate man in the hallway. There was a hesitation before Diamond laughed heartily. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at ALL!" Diamond laughed. "I don't know who you are, but you can tell your little friend in there that I'm not done with her."

"Yes, you are." Darien stated flatly, his voice was monotone but held a fury that made me shiver. "Get away from my door, now, or I'll remove you from it." A few moments later Darien reentered and looked at me with a blank face. "The things you get yourself into." He shook his head then shut and locked the door. "Are you all right?"

I took inventory of myself then nodded. I was fine, just a little shaken. As if he knew this Darien nodded and stepped close to me, he then took hold of my dress and pulled it down so it was back in it's proper place. "Thank you." I whispered with a bit of shame in my voice. "Sorry to have burst in on you like this… I'll just go now."

"No, you will not. I think it's best if you stay put for a few. He'll be waiting for you for a while yet and I'd rather you stay here where I know you're safe." Darien's voice was firm but soft at the same time.


	8. Innocence Lost

Okay, tough chapter to write… I struggled with this one but in the end I went for it. The road to a happy ending is rarely paved with sugarplums so here you are. REVIEW!

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8

Innocence Lost

"Thank you for opening the door." I couldn't help but stare at him as his eyes examined me carefully. I hated how his eyes seemed to look right through me, as if he could see my mind working. His eyes were dark as he shook his head and took a few steps towards the small kitchen.

"Why come here?" Were his only words as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a glass. I wondered the same thing but the answer was simple. He was the closest at the time, and the candidate who was most likely to step in if things turned ugly.

"Would you rather I not?" I asked simply to distract him from my answers. I didn't want to tell him anything, especially now.

"I would rather see you at my door without some lunatic chasing after you." He stated flatly. "You realize that he will be waiting for you? Not just tonight but for every night remaining." I only nodded. I wasn't going to get away from Diamond without a confrontation, that was for sure.

"Look, Serena. About what I did… I'm sorry. I truly am sorry." His eyes were so sincere it scared me. "Of course, you know me, I can't stop at a simple apology. " He shrugged and walked to me holding a glass of water. "What that guy just tried to do to you, I would never do that Serena. Know that. What I did, I did out of pure stupidity." I smiled at that. Finally, Mr. Shields admitting he was stupid! "What that man was doing was deliberate. What he will do, will be deliberate."

"Will do? What makes you think he'll do anything?" I asked plainly and crossed my arms.

"The next time you run into him he'll be prepared to see you. He'll have a plan and I don't think he'll take no for an answer." Darien's tone scared me. It was full of so much warning and hatred I wondered just how much emotion he'd been hiding all these years.

Darien had always been a robot. An unfeeling robot. Even when we fought I could tell he wasn't really angry at me. He was, devoid of all feelings it seemed. Until this trip that is. As he neared me I wondered if I could carry out my makeshift plan. Could I really do that to him? To myself?

"Serena, I want to protect you. Please, forgive me and let me keep you safe?" He cupped the side of my face with one of his strong hands and I'll admit. I wanted to let my eyes close and lean into his touch. I didn't though.

"How can I trust you to keep me safe? You've belittled me for years, then you took a bet and humiliated me. The only person I trust to keep me safe is me. Granted I may not be as intimidating or as strong as you but I can trust myself not to hurt me." He lowered his hand and sighed.

"You'll hurt yourself by not letting me help you. Don't you get it? That man WILL do something terrible to you. Remember how you must have felt when you thought I raped you? I can only imagine, but how will you feel when he succeeds and you experience it? Whatever you felt before will pale in comparison. You saw how Raye felt after that asshole tried what he did." I stared at him with clenched fists. He had a point, a very GOOD point.

"It won't happen." I mumbled as Darien threw up his hands and turned away from me. "It won't! Diamond's a reasonable person and after he calms down he's going to regret what he's done. I'm sure of it."

"Don't be so naïve Serena! The man openly challenged me right there! You saw it! If he's gutzy enough to do that then he has the ability to do so much more. Believe me." I felt my heart reach out for him as he stared at me with pleading eyes. "I can see you won't though. You won't listen and you'll regret it."

"I am listening Jerk Face! I'm just having a difficult time piecing this together, that's all." I sighed and moved to the couch to sit down. "All those years you called me ugly and piggish, I just got to the point where I didn't notice guy looking at me. Coming on this ship, I had no idea I was going to be as popular as I seem to be right now."

"With all due respect Serena, it's the way you're dressing. Outfits like that communicate to guys that you're open for business so to speak." He sat next to me and looked into my eyes purposefully. "Nonetheless, please stay here tonight. You can have the bed, I'll take the couch." He then nodded and smiled. "Leave that misguided soul to me."

"Fine, but this doesn't mean I forgive you." I stood and pointed at him. "Far from it mister." He smiled in response and reoriented himself on the couch so he was laying down comfortably. "Night." I said softly as I walked towards the stairs.

"Night Meatball Head." He turned off lamp sitting on the side table plunging the room into darkness. As I walked up the stairs I almost wanted to call to him. I wanted to tell him to come and cuddle with me, I wanted to tell him how terrified I was that I had almost been a victim.

Once again, I wanted a lot.

* * *

I woke suddenly and for seemingly no reason. Whatever had pulled me from my sleep was nagging at me to get up and wake Darien. I needed him, needed him to look into my eyes, his ocean depths soothing me as he wraps his arms around me and tells me I'm okay. Walking down the stairs I neared him and looked down at his sleeping figure.

I couldn't stay mad at him. That was certain. I wanted to stay mad at him but I just couldn't. Principle is what this would come down to. I would forgive him in my heart but I couldn't let him think I had forgiven him so easily. I just couldn't.

Inhaling sharply I looked at the door. I needed to go back to my room before Amy launched a full-scale search for me. I briefly contemplated waking Darien to walk me back but for what reason? Diamond had surely calmed now.

But what if Darien was right? What if Diamond was just waiting for me to walk out that door? Deciding against going out I turned back to the stairs and went back up to the bed. Laying on my back I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Oh what a tumultuous day.

A slight sound drew my attention to the darkest corner of the room. Sitting up slightly I focused my eyes as best I could and saw a figure standing there. My heart froze as I rationalized what it could be. Coat racks played the same cruel trick on me when I was younger. I would wake up terrified that someone was in my room only to have it be my coat rack.

Laying back down I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. The moment I felt the tension leave my body was the moment I was essentially tackled by a male figure. Opening my mouth to scream I coughed as a large piece of cloth was shoved into my mouth essentially muffling my scream.

"You think your friend scares me?" Diamond's voice hissed into my ear. "He doesn't." I struggled against him only to find that he had restrained me in a way I couldn't escape. "Who is he? Some childhood enemy? I heard you calling each other names and him asking for forgiveness. Too bad. Maybe you should have forgiven him. If you had, perhaps he would be up here with you preventing this." Diamond's hand moved under my dress and tugged on it as his other hand securely held my arms.

How the hell did Diamond get in? That was my main question. My second question was why was he so damned determined? It's not like I'm the most special woman in the world!

As he lowered his face to mine I felt his breath on my neck before his lips touched. He lightly kissed my neck right below my ear and bit lightly as his hand moved into my shorts then into my panties. I practically choked on my gag as his fingers brushed against my most intimate of places and he chuckled.

"Once I get started you're going to love this." He whispered into my ear and pushed his index finger into me. Tears streamed down my face as I willed Darien to wake up. I wanted to sell my soul to the devil just for him to wake up.

The cloth in my mouth was beginning to suffocate me as I tried to push it out with my tongue. Something about Diamond's smug grin told me he knew the effect of my efforts. Then he raised an eyebrow and pushed a second finger into me making the already painful situation almost unbearable.

"My God, I didn't know you were a virgin." He breathed heavily and closed his eyes almost as if he were in pain. "No wonder you're so guarded and up tight." He grinned.

As he began to move his fingers within me I heard a knock at the door and the light below flipped on. My heart soared only to plunge again when Diamond growled slightly and yanked my panties and shorts down to my knees. The friction against my skin burned but my attention was now horrifically focused on Diamond's free hand which was now working to lower his zipper which was restraining his now erect member.

"Serena? She's here, had an encounter with some asshole earlier. She's upstairs asleep." I heard Darien say softly to whoever was at the door. I strained as much as I could to hear who it was but a sudden pain ripped through my body as Diamond managed to tear into me. My scream was silenced by the pounding in my head then the added pain of lights being flipped on.

The next few moments were a blur but what I do remember was Diamond being ripped away from me and Andrew pulling the gag from my mouth. He wrapped me in his arms as if I were a small child and pulled my face into the crook of his neck.

You better well bet I cried like hell too! Andrew rocked back and forth slowly, humming some tune or another and being sure I was wrapped in blankets. I was thankful, but at the same time I struggled against him. Where was Darien? "Stay still Serena. Please." Andrew whispered in my ear, his voice was a combination of anger, fear, and love, a difficult thing to describe really.

As Andrew held me securely I heard the door slam with such ferocity I Thought the ship tilted. Then the sound of rushing footsteps and finally Darien was on the bed hovering in front of Andrew and I. In moment's I was switched from one man to the next and Darien held me tighter than anyone ever had. He was completely silent allowing me to hear his quickened heartbeat.

"I'm so sorry." The words that flowed from him sounded foreign to my ears. That voice was that of someone who had just committed the most horrid act ever witnessed by humans and it scared me.

"How the fuck did he get in here? How did he manage… you were right there!" Andrew finally shouted. "How the fuck did he do it?" Andrew was off the bed and down the stairs to investigate before a response could be made.

As Darien's presence calmed me I became increasingly aware of my dry throat and the throbbing pain between my legs. I felt myself begin to cry again as I realized one very significant fact. Diamond had succeeded.


	9. Bedside Manners

Okay, so, authors note. Right. So, a few of you seem to be bewildered as to why I would make this fic so dark all of a sudden. The answer… honestly it's my own tendencies. It's more a plight to make women of all walks of life realize that terrible things happen when you least expect it. Now, I'd like to think that I've added ample foreshadowing (evident if you really read the story, know my style, and understand what's going on.) on the other hand, I recognize my shortcomings as a human being and know that I often assume that everyone knows what I'm talking about. With that said, yes, this fic is dark, I don't think I've written a fic that didn't turn dark and for those of you getting annoyed about my tendency to include rape in my stories I implore you to find a new fic writer to follow. I find rape to be the most horrendous crime that can be committed against a woman (or man, it does happen). So yeah, and to add to my comments, some of you may want to completely blame Darien for what's happened but I would like to draw your attention to the idea that it is definitely Serena's fault as well.

Anywho, more darkness but a lighter darkness. From here we crawl out of the hole I dug! So… REVIEW!

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9

Bedside Manners

Eventually Andrew grew quiet in his ranting and returned to where Darien was holding me. Things were so quiet, each of us contemplating where to go to from here.

Andrew was the first to break the silence, his cautious voice asking the question I was now fearing the answer to. "So um… what did you do to him?" I felt Darien move ever so slightly but no response was made. I wanted to know, I may fear the answer but I had to know. Straining to look into Darien's eyes I gasp as I saw his normally flawless face.

I could tell by the way his face was beginning to swell that he and Diamond had fought. Pulling away from him I saw the fury in his eyes, the dangerous, utterly terrifying fury. "Darien?" I asked with a shaky voice. He sighed deeply then looked down at me, the fury melting into something soft.

"Honestly, even though I beat the shit out of him… I don't think it was enough. If I thought I'd get away with it I would have threw him overboard and let the sharks have him." The truth in those words comforted me in some odd way. "As it is, I just left him beaten and bloody in front of the security office."

Nodding I moved back into my previous position, my forehead rest perfectly in the crook of his neck, my body cradled in his arms. "Thank you… can I have a glass of water?"

"I'll get it." Andrew scrambled off the bed and down the stairs. His eagerness made me smile. At least I was loved.

The idea soon shifted my mind to the man currently holding me tightly against him. Darien loved me, truly loved me and I was being stubborn. He was right, what I had felt when I thought he'd hurt me was nothing compared to how I felt now. I had been purely ignorant to think that he didn't deserve forgiveness. Had I forgiven him this wouldn't have happened.

"Here you go! Water with ice!" Andrew smiled and thrust the glass towards me. I tenderly took it and sipped the cold liquid reveling in the way it traveled over the dried tissues of my mouth. "Your face looks terrible buddy." Andrew said to Darien then took my glass from me.

"Should I care? His looks worse." Darien replied with disgust. "Not to mention the fact that he'll most likely be walking a little crooked for the rest of his life."

"What does that mean? What did you do to him?" Andrew leaned forward.

"Well, I'm a doctor, and I wanted to be sure he would never attack a woman like that again." He smiled and looked down at me. I know you don't condone violence but I hope you won't mind when I tell you I managed to hit him hard enough where it matters most. Unless he gets immediate medical attention I don't see him participating in any sexual activity for a long time." He smiled and Andrew started laughing hysterically. While I didn't fully understand his meaning I was content enough in his story. "Regardless though, are you fairly okay?"

"Fairly okay?" I drawled amusedly then took stock of myself. The pain between my legs told me I might not be and as much as I hated to admit it, I would have to give in and let Darien look me over. At this point though, I really didn't care. He'd already seen my naked. "I'm not sure." I whispered and he nodded.

"Okaaaay then… I'm um… I'm going to go and let the girls know what's happened." Andrew was up and gone in a manner of milliseconds.

"Do you want me to take you to the medical offices?" Darien softly asked, his face now lined with concern.

I briefly considered it then shook my head in decline. I didn't want some stranger looking me over. "No. The last thing I need is some stranger looking at me. I'm comfortable with the fact that you're a doctor." I almost whispered and he nodded. "So um… what uh…" I contained the blush that threatened my cheeks. I wasn't so much embarrassed as I was unsure.

"You're sure you want me to give you an exam? Little bit of a conflict of interest don't you think?" He smiled slightly with a playful voice. I simply rolled my eyes and moved away from him slightly so he could move to the side of the bed. "You're sure? I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He added in a last ditch effort to protest.

"Darien, I don't trust anyone else." I smiled as best I could. Whatever he saw in my eyes seemed to calm his protests.

Moving off of the bed he asked me to sit up and move to the edge of the bed. I did so (with great effort I might add because pain ripped through my legs and torso) and looked at him with slightly teary eyes.

"Okay, I'm going to ask you to hang your legs over the bed and lay back okay?" He had clearly switched into doctor mode because his voice sounded overly professional. It was a bit soothing to hear it.

I did what he asked and held my breath a little. Based on the pain I was feeling I just knew this couldn't be good. He knelt on the ground and placed his hands on my knees then put pressure on them for me to open them and as I did so he made a noise that alerted me immediately. Jumping up from his position he went down the stairs leaving me laying there with my legs slightly spread and a blanket over my lap.

A few moments later he was back up the stairs and beginning to gather me in his arms. "Let's remove your dress okay? I'm taking you down to the bathtub." I nodded and helped to remove my dress. My shorts and panties had been lost sometime during Diamond's assault. As soon as I was nude he scooped me up and took me down to the bathroom where the tub was filled with a few inches of water. Placing me in the luke warm water I immediately yelped at the stinging I felt between my legs and as I looked down I understood why Darien had made the unsettling noise upstairs.

I stared at my inner thighs which had bruised rather significantly. They almost looked black! I wasn't sure how that had happened but something in the back of my mind reached for the idea that Diamond had been rough when removing my undergarments, as well as the fact that he'd had a little more time to actually do the act then I'd thought. The whole thing had been a blur as if I had blocked it out as it happened. The pain, I remember vividly.

In addition to my bruised thighs, the water was now stained a red color. Alarmed I looked at Darien for meaning. He said nothing as he knelt at the side of the tub and looked into my eyes with pain. "Am I okay?" I whispered with teary eyes as the stinging sensation began to fade.

"I'm not sure yet. I couldn't tell. Here, wash yourself a little while I call housekeeping to come and change the bed." He then kissed my forehead and left the room to leave me with my task. I carefully touched the now tender area between my legs and winced as pain shot through me. What had Diamond done to me? More importantly, was I broken now?

Finishing my task as best I could I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them. The position was painful but I needed to cry. So I closed my eyes and did just that. It served me right, I deserved what I got, the idea that I could ever use Darien the way I had planned to, disgusted me. I was going to use him to rid myself of perhaps one of the most precious things I could give to anyone. I wanted to give it to him, and now? Well now it was gone, gone because I was a stupid Meatball Head. My degrees meant nothing in the way of my intelligence, that was for sure.

"Hey now…" Darien's voice washed over me softly as his hand touched my back. "You're going to be okay." He soothed with a shaky voice. I could hear the uncertainty in him but I didn't care. Once again, I needed him to comfort me. Crying out loud I almost lunged for him, my arms wrapping around his neck for strength.

I felt him reach for the drain and the water began to lower. Once it was gone he turned on the faucet and plugged the drain again allowing the water to fill once more. It was pink this time. Another draining and filling and the water was clear. With me still clinging to him he drained it once again and held onto me. His hands smoothed over the back of my head in a petting fashion in order to try and calm me. "Let me go and see if housekeeping changed out the bedding okay? I'll be right back." He untangled himself and quickly turned away from me and walked to the door. His crisp white shirt was now stained with pink. I felt slightly guilty about that but blood would wash out. A few moments later and he came back in and scooped me up. I latched onto him for dear life as he lifted me out of the bathtub as if I was light as a feather. He grabbed a towel and carried me up the stairs to a freshly made bed. Laying the towel down he set me on it and asked me to resume my previous position.

As I lay down I waited for him to tell me the bad news. I was terrified, absolutely terrified of what the damage would be. Never in my life have I felt so violated! So… vulnerable! I felt his hands brush against my bruised thighs then up further until he touched me. I know I must have made a sound to communicate the sting I felt because he quickly withdrew and stood. Lifting me again he grabbed the towel and set me back down then took the towel to my wet hair.

"You're okay." He said softly. "As can be expected you're sore right now because of the bruising but also because your hymen was broken. It's common for women to experience discomfort during and after their first sexual experience. I think that given a day or two your pain should subside." While he spoke I heard the unease in his voice and I wandered yet again to the fact that I had lost my most precious gift.

"I'm sorry." I shakily cried. The way his eyes locked onto mine with anger scared me.

"Don't ever apologize to me again!" He snapped. "There is no… no reality where a situation like this warrants an apology from you. If anything I should be slaving for the rest of my life to even earn a glance from you, much less any semblance of an apology! If I hadn't treated you so despicably then you wouldn't have batted an eye at that freak. If I had manned up enough to deal with my own emotional shortcomings and asked you out a long time ago we wouldn't even be here on this boat. The fact that you're sitting here, suffering from a horrendous attack that happened right under my nose is entirely my fault and I NEVER want you to lose sight of that again! Understand me?"

His words hit home in a way that shocked me. He was right, of course he was right but I couldn't blame this all on him. It was my own decision to get involved with Diamond. It was my decision to get on this boat, to antagonize him for so many years. No, I was just as guilty as he was. "I don't agree with you. I have just as much guilt in this as you do. I'm sorry because… I… I love you Jerk face, and I've been so stupid."

"Why are you sorry that you love me?" He mused and stopped drying my hair. "Seems like a silly thing to be sorry about."

"I'm sorry because I wanted to… you're the only one I wanted to…" I felt my words failing me and closed my eyes. Confessions had never been easy for me.

"It's okay. I think I understand what you're saying." He moved onto the bed next to me and smiled slightly. "I'm not sure what I did to ever win your affections but I'm beside myself with happiness. Just know that this incident doesn't make you any less desirable in my eyes. I just wish this hadn't happened. Such a terrible thing for you to have to experience, much less to actually lose your virtue in the process."

"I guess." I sighed and looked into his eyes with content. "I'm tired."

"I'm sure." He nodded and stood to help me to crawl under the covers. Darien then lay on the bed near me, atop the covers and closed his eyes. "Night Serena. Sleep well. Tomorrow is a new day."

* * *

"_I'm not afraid of your little friend Serena." Diamond's voice hissed into my ear. I felt the sensation of a gag in my mouth choking me. I could do nothing as his hands moved over me, my own restrained above my head._

_I kept imagining this wasn't real, that the whole thing was an illusion and Diamond was a figment of my imagination. "I'm not." He insisted. "I'm very real, this is real. Everything that you feel, this is how it is to be with someone. It's not glorious, it's not romantic. You're just one of those women who don't enjoy it. It will always be like this for you, even with him."_

I woke with a start from the nightmare, my injuries throbbing painfully as I sat up. My mind reeled. Sex would always be like that? Is that how it is? If that was true then how could I ever willingly give myself to anyone?


	10. Thinking Ahead

Ya, okay, so it's short. I've been busy with life lately and fics fall into the background. Anywho, here you are, enjoy! Oh, and if you review with an idea I may incorporate it into the story. :) REVIEW!

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10

Thinking Ahead

Waking the next morning I was greeted by the sound of Darien trying to hold off the girls. His efforts were making my loyal friends angry, to the point where I could even hear Amy yelling at him.

"We have to see her! We're her best friends!" She shouted at Darien who was apparently unmoved by the show.

"Let them in." I called over the rail of the loft bedroom and was soon surrounded by them. Mina had thrown herself at me as if I was a life saver and she'd been tossed overboard. "Hey, careful with me." I covered my naked body in an attempt at decency.

"You're naked." Lita almost ground in anger. "Why are you naked in Darien's room?" The other girls turned to me with interest until Amy brought a bag into the open.

"I um, figured you'd need some clothes. Don't imagine you'll ever wear that outfit again." She almost gulped with guilt from the lines she'd spat at me earlier that week. "I'm sorry that happened to you Serena." She whispered and hugged me.

"Me too… the worst part is… I don't think… I mean I don't think I'm ever going to … you know." My words made Mina turn five shades of white before she grabbed my shoulders and shook me with protest.

"No! You're wrong! You totally will. You'll see! You just need to get over this little setback!" Her words were desperate. "I mean come on… how do you feel when a guy kisses you?"

I had to stop at that. As I thought about it my skin must have paled. I'd never really kissed a guy before. I mean sure, school girl pecks but never actually kissed. Diamond had forced a kiss onto me but other than that, nothing. "I wouldn't know." I looked down with shame as the girls stared at me in shock.

No one seemed to talk after that until Darien came up and looked at the girls sternly. "Okay, out ,out. That's enough company for now. She needs her rest." He insisted and crossed his arms. The girls slowly filed out and he simply stood there looking at me. "So, want to talk about why you were tossing and turning last night?"

"Not really." I shrugged only to have him sit on the foot of the bed. "A little." I blushed slightly and he nodded. "Well, I had this dream that basically said I'd never… experience intimacy the way most women do." I tried to put it as noncommittal as possible but something in Darien's eyes told me he knew what I was saying.

"Serena, what happened to you will obviously affect you for some time. Keep in mind though, that this one incident does not represent all of your future experiences. I don't think you're one of those women who do not respond normally to intimacy. In fact, I'd say that this encounter proves that." He reasoned softly as his eyes searched mine. "Serena, you aren't ruined. Trust me on that."

"How would you know? You're not me." I wanted him to be right and at the same time I was tired of him always being right. He simply smiled and shook his head as if to dismiss my question.

"I may not be you, but I know you." His eyes locked onto mine and seemed to dig into my soul yet again. "Regardless, how are you feeling physically? Still aching?" He moved towards me on the bed to read my reaction to the question a little better.

"I think so, yes." I nodded as the unmistakable urge to go to the bathroom hit me. "We'll see." I threw the covers off of my nude form and flinched as my thighs protested. "Oh, yeah, definitely." I hissed through my teeth. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Not a problem." Darien nodded and moved around the bed to pick me up. Looping my arms around his neck I easily accepted his chivalry. He then carried me downstairs and set me on my feet in the bathroom. He was so careful, as if I was a china doll that would burst into a million pieces if treated wrong. As weight was put onto my legs I felt sharp pains through my thighs and nether regions. Noticing this he picked me up again and set me down on the toilet.

"I'll leave you alone then." He turned and left me sitting on the porcelain throne with watering eyes. I couldn't believe the pain I was in! Obviously I truly had no idea how rough Diamond had been! Resigning to ignoring the pain I was feeling I relieved my bladder which was even more painful. What the hell had that man done to me? I felt as if all of my muscles were severely ripped!

Finishing my business I wiped and stood (with great effort) then flushed and washed my hands. This little bathroom trip was certainly enough activity for me for the day, that was for sure. Being gentle with myself I opened the bathroom door and took a few baby steps out. Darien was in the kitchen looking at me with concern. One look at my face and I was back in his arms being carried up stairs.

"I'm going to order some food… what do you want?" He escaped the topic of my pain easily as my mind immediately focused on how hungry I was. "They have anything you want I'm sure." He added nicely then took me upstairs to the bed. "How about eggs with lots and lots of bacon?"

"Sounds great." I smiled through my tears and closed my eyes as he nodded and pressed his lips to my forehead. "What do you think happened to him?"

"Andrew's on it." Darien assured me quickly and balled his fist. "I'll let you know when he lets me know. Okay?" With that he turned away from me and went downstairs to call room service.

What had happened to Diamond? What would security have done to the man? I pictured him being in a medical bed with ice on his member and stiches all over him. From the way Darien looked it was clear the two had fought viciously. Thankfully Darien had come out the winner.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander to Darien once more. Who would have thought the man who had been tormenting me all these years would be my knight in shining armor? I certainly didn't that's for darn sure.

* * *

Andrew walked down the long hallway to the security office and knocked on the door lightly. The door was opened quickly to reveal a tall, blue-haired man with sapphire eyes and handsome features.

"May I help you with something sir?" He asked pleasantly and smiled briefly to try and give off a welcoming presence. "Have you lost something perhaps?"

"No, I came here to make a report on an incident that occurred last night." The blonde spoke confidently despite the nervousness he was feeling.

"Very well, come in." The man ushered him into the room and sat him in a chair before sitting himself at the computer. "So then, what happened?"

"A very close friend of mine was raped." Andrew stated blankly and noticed the security guard pause slightly. "She had gone to dance with this guy and he came onto her a little heavy. She didn't like it and when he tried to assault her in the hallway she got out of it and went to another one of my friend's room. Somehow, the guy got into the room and raped my friend without my other friend knowing until it was too late. I'm sorry to say the guy got pummeled pretty well by the one friend who happens to love the other friend." Andrew then looked up at the security guard who was looking at him incredulously.

"Ah, by any chance did your friend leave this man outside this door last night?" The man asked casually. He had yet to touch the computer and it worried Andrew a little.

"I think he did, yeah." The blonde nodded and bit his lip a little.

"Well sir, this isn't a very nice story you're telling me. I would rather someone have told me last night. Did anyone take this woman to the medical wing?" The security guard asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes making Andrew even more nervous.

"N… No. My guy friend is a doctor and she was a little scared so she didn't want to go to the medical wing. Not to mention the fact that I doubt Darien would have let her go seeing as how he put the other guy there." Andrew shrugged casually then noticed the guard write something down. "Is that a problem?"

"Frankly?" The guard sighed and tapped a few keys on the keyboard then paused a little. "This is a huge problem sir." The man then leaned forward cautiously. "Name's Sapphire by the way, and I happen to be that guy's brother, and employee."

Andrew felt as if the wind had been sucked from his lungs. "W… What?"

"The man who raped your friend, is my brother and the owner of this cruise line." Sapphire repeated then sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised though. When Diamond sees a woman he wants he won't stop until he gets her. I'm sorry to know that your friend fell victim to it but seeing as how this… Darien fellow took care of it there's nothing more I can do."

"You're kidding me?" Andrew stormed and jumped up from the chair. "So… nothing will happen to him because he owns the boat?"

"No, nothing will happen to him because we were in international waters when it happened. Be thankful for that because that means your friend Darien gets off scott free." Sapphire snapped and stood to match Andrew. "My brother is a menace, but then again, if your friend hadn't been provoking him it wouldn't have happened. She should take it as a lesson."

"Oh, believe you me, she took the lesson. He took her virginity but she got a good lesson out of it all-right. She'll be scared for the rest of her life I'm sure." Andrew noticed a change in Sapphire suddenly and paused. "What?"

"He really took her virginity? Like that?" Sapphire sat back down and rest his head in his hand. "My brother, though an asshole has always known where to draw the line, where to stop. Why would he do that to someone?" The blue-haired man seemed to be having a discussion with himself.

"So… okay okay, wait a second here." A thought came into Andrew's head. "You telling me your brother used a key to get into my friend's room? That means there isn't a safe person on this boat! What the hell?" Andrew stormed which caused Sapphire to frown. "You know what? When we get back we are going to file a complaint with the BBB and look into what can be done about this!" With that Andrew left the security room to tell his friend what he had discovered. As he walked towards his friend's room he could feel an oncoming storm, Darien would be irate over this.

Knocking on the door gently Andrew jumped as it was pulled open by his longtime friend. Walking in he remained quiet then turned and sighed as Darien shut the door and gave him a "well?" look.

"Ummm… I think you ought to sit down for this one." Andrew smiled as best he could as he noticed Darien's muscles tense. "Diamond owns this boat. He got in using a key." The blonde man watched as Darien stood calmly in front of him. His mind obviously working overtime. Then Darien suddenly walked past him and to the balcony. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that this cruise is over. I'm getting us all off of this thing." Darien vowed seriously and looked up at the loft where Serena was. "I don't care what it takes. Next port we're going home." With that Darien walked towards the stairs. "Thank you for finding that out Andrew."

* * *

I felt my breath hitch as Andrew announced his findings about Diamond. I could hardly believe it. Boy, do I know how to pick 'em. I then heard Darien. He was ending the cruise and as I heard him say it I personally rejoiced. I was going to be able to go back home!

Darien then appeared at the top of the stairs and looked at me seriously. I simply nodded my agreement and he nodded back. It was settled. At the next port we were getting off the ship and going home. "Thank you Dare. I appreciate it."

"Any time Meatball head, any time."


	11. Second Encounter

My apologies, delving deep into darkness again. Last time though I promise. :) I'm sort of working on a new fic, it's fun and interesting and I think you would all like it. I am painfully aware of the fact that I have four fics currently in process and I'm sorry I'm such a flake sometimes. I try my best to finish them but you know how inspiration works (or doesn't) and I happen to have a life on top of that. Lol. Well, nonetheless, enjoy this chapter and **REVIEW!**

Second Encounter

Darien walked calmly down the hall to the customer service desk where a smiling woman looked at him expectantly. She was peculiar looking with green hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to glitter with laughter.

"Hello sir. How may I help you today?" She smiled openly and patiently awaited his question.

"I just want to know what sort of procedure there is to end the cruise early. My party and I plan to deboard at the next port and I just want to know what sort of paperwork I need to fill out." Darien replied with a pleasant tone.

The woman's smile evaporated instantly as she took on a more serious look. "I'm sorry sir however, no one is being allowed to deboard at the next port. It is our understanding that the climate has become hostile there and it is in the best interest of all of our guests to remain on board. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. May I ask your reasons for wanting to end the cruise early?"

"You may ask but I am not obligated to answer." He paused for a short moment. "So, am I to understand that I will remain on board this ship against my will?"

"I certainly hope it is not against your will however, yes, you are required to stay on board. We will make port again at the rightful end of the cruise and you will be free to do as you please at that point but until then please enjoy your cruise." Her smile returned as she ended her speech and looked at the person behind him. "Can I help you sir?"

Darien stepped away from the counter feeling enraged. They couldn't do this! He'd call the US embassy to be sure of it. With that thought he marched to the nearest deck and pulled out his cell phone only to see there was no reception. "What the hell?"

8888888888888

I smiled as yet another one of Andrew's chess pieces fell to my own. He was a poor player at this game. At least he was right now. Whether that was intentional or not I wasn't sure but I was enjoying the game regardless.

"Hot damn woman! Beat me at everything why don't you!" He growled and fell back on the bed in a show of defeat. "I surrender!"

I simply smiled and lay back into the pillows and sighed. I wondered when Darien would be back. It couldn't take too long to get the paperwork to end the cruise could it? I wasn't sure, hell, I wasn't sure about anything anymore. All I knew was that I wanted to go home where I was safe so I could contemplate my job offer. I wanted to take the job, it would be an adventure but I wanted to stay where I was in order to see where things led with Darien. I'd never been in a relationship before and the thought of starting one was exciting and scary at the same time.

That's when a thought struck me. "Hey, Andrew… where's Rita, I haven't seen her this whole time." He sighed and looked at me then sat up and shook his head. Clearly this was a sore subject.

"She's doing her own thing. We've been having a bit of a rough patch lately and we decided to open up our relationship, see other people, then we decided to go on this cruise. Truthfully, I haven't seen her either and I have this feeling that we're over. It sucks." He shook his head and looked at me. "I'm better off without her though."

"How can you say that? You love her." I insisted sadly as he shrugged.

"Maybe, but she doesn't want to be tied to just one guy." Andrew looked at me sadly then shrugged again as if to dismiss it.

"I'm sorry." I whispered and sat up a bit. The pain made me wince so Andrew leaned forward and helped me to sit up. With an encouraging smile I pulled him into a hug and closed my eyes. He was going through a hard time much like I was. It was tough to see him like this.

"Touching." Diamond's voice alerted me to his presence and made me jump away from Andrew with my eyes wide open. He was standing at the top of the stairs, his arms folded across his chest with an amused smile on his face. "And here I thought you were all sweet on that Darien fellow."

"Leave now Diamond!" Andrew stood up defensively. "Just leave her alone, you got what you wanted from her now leave!"

Diamond quirked an eye brow up and chuckled. He looked like a maniac. He had bruises all over his face, a swollen lip and two black eyes but it didn't stop him from being smug. "Who said? I was far from finished with her when your friend attacked me. Idiot, he may have bloodied me up a bit and such but I have all my faculties and all of my working parts." With this statement he looked at me much like a snake would look at dinner.

Andrew looked at me cautiously as I moved to the edge of the bed. The pain it caused must have been evident on my face because Diamond laughed gleefully. That's when Andrew lunged at him. I was shocked as he grabbed onto Diamond fiercely and swung him towards the bed. "Run!" He commanded and all I could do is obey. I ignored the sharp pains searing through me and rushed to the stairs and down to the living area. I could hear them struggling on the loft and continued until a strong hand grabbed me and swung me to the breakfast bar at the kitchen. I screamed out as I hit the stool knocking it over then felt the wind leave my lungs as I was slammed into to counter. Whoever had a hold of me grabbed my wrists and held them against my back as I was forced to lean over the counter.

I then heard the noise in the loft quiet and footsteps on the stairs. "Tough little bastard." Diamond chucked as I heard Andrew's muffled shouts. It was clear he'd been gagged. I then heard the man holding me chuckle.

"Got her." He reported as I heard Diamond near me.

"You haven't gagged her yet, or secured her wrists, what use are you?" Diamond hissed at the man who quickly wrapped a zip tie around my wrists and pulled it tight. "That's better."

The man pulled me away from the counter so I could face Diamond who smiled at me evilly. "Get away from me. Please just leave me alone. Haven't you done enough?"

"Honestly darling?" He stepped closer to me and held my chin with his fingers. "I didn't get to finish what I started. I'm honored I was allowed to be your first and I'm thrilled to be your last." I know my eyes widened at that.

What did he mean by that? I began to open my mouth only to have it gagged by Diamond's lackey. He smiled wider then looked at the man. "Leave us. Lock the door on your way out." I felt the man leave and winced as Diamond grabbed me and shoved me back into the counter. "You're little boyfriend is an idiot to think he can just stop me. I'm Diamond Negamoon for fucks sake." He ground and chuckled as I felt his hand move up my bare leg and under the skirt I was wearing. "I know you're sore but don't worry, you won't care about the pain when I'm through with you sweetheart."

I felt tears streaming down my face as his hands pushed up my skirt and pulled my panties down. What sort of hell was this? Why me? Why wasn't Darien back yet?

I heard Diamond unzip his pants and then his hands grasp my hips firmly. I couldn't move, my legs were exhausted, my feet were dangling above the ground, and he was pushing me so hard against the counter I could hardly breathe. I just kept thinking of Darien, praying to any deity out there that he'd save me.

That didn't happen though and as Diamond tore into my body for the second time I screamed into my gag with all I was worth. The sound of Diamond exhaling with pleasure both sickened me and renewed Andrew's struggling above us.

"Dear God you're insatiable." Diamond whispered into my ear as he began to stab into me repeatedly. In the end I just gave up trying to fight him. My body was beginning to go numb from the pain, I was at least thankful for that. Finally Diamond finished his task and simply leaned over me. His body still within mine as he fought to regain his breath and composure. "There, now, I'm done having my fun. Now there's only one more thing left to do." He leaned into me further and I saw him reach over my head and grab a knife from the cutting block.

I started to scream and struggle again as he backed off of me a little and that's when the door was thrown open and I felt Diamond freeze. "What are you doing?" An unfamiliar voice asked cautiously with an undercurrent of anger. I turned my head to see a security officer with blue hair holding a taser. "Di, get away from her. That's enough."

"Just a moment Saph, I'm not done here." Diamond growled and I was able to turn my head enough to see that Diamond's eyes were focused on my private area. Realization of where the knife was intended to go hit me and I screamed again. It was one thing to rape me twice but to do what he was thinking to do was by far the worst thing imaginable. If I wasn't already ruined that would ruin me for sure!

"No, you're done." The security officer rushed forward and wrestled Diamond to the ground. I couldn't see the struggle but it was the security officer that put my panties back in place, un-zip tied me, and carried me away from the counter. I could see Diamond on the ground in cuffs with the taser darts stuck in his back. "Sorry young lady. I didn't know he'd come in here till just now. I wish I'd been earlier." He then went upstairs and released Andrew who ran down to me with teary eyes.

"What the hell is the matter with you? Why weren't you watching him?" Andrew screamed at the security officer who simply looked at the ground. "And… was he going to stab her?"

"Look, I didn't know he was going to go after her again. And yes, he was going to stab her. I want to take her to the medical wing." The security guy stepped forward just as Darien stepped into the room and looked at Diamond's downed figure.

"What happened?" He immediately shouted and looked at me. His eyes then darkened and he lunged towards Diamond only to have the security officer stand in his way. "You son of a bitch!" Darien was violent. I'd never seen a man display such raw animal instinct but there it was, seething from Darien's eyes.

"Ignore him, perhaps your friend needs you more?" The security guard managed to say while he held Darien off.

Darien then pushed the other man off of him and came over to me. Without words he pulled me into his arms and turned his body so his back was to Diamond. I couldn't help but bury my face in his chest and cry. I didn't sob like I wanted to. No, I couldn't let Diamond hear me cry. The man currently holding me must have noticed my shaking because he tightened one arm around me and placed one hand on my head then lowered his lips to the top of my forehead.

"Just get him out of here Sapphire! Get him out now!" This time it was Andrew's turn to yell. His usually calm voice boomed with rage. "If I ever see him again it will be the last time!"

The next few moments were spent removing Diamond from the room and once he was gone I began to weep like a child. I didn't care what anyone tried to tell me. Sex was a horrible, dirty, disgusting occurrence and there was no way I was going to submit myself to it ever again!

"I shouldn't have left you." Darien whispered into my hair. The action both calmed and alerted me. True, he shouldn't have left me but then again he had to see to the details of deboarding. "I'm not leaving you again."

"That guy's a fucking nut! Completely off his rocker!" Andrew shouted. I couldn't see him but I imagined him making large obscene gestures with his hands. "I mean what the hell? He just attacked me! Dear God… are you going to be okay?" He suddenly asked. I'm sure it was directed at me but it didn't really matter.

"No! She's not going to be okay!" Darien snapped nastily then somehow managed to pick me up bridal style. "She was just raped a second time by the same asshole who did it the first time! Not only that, but it's also the third time he's attacked her and the second while one of us was in the room! She's not okay!"

"Darien, calm down." Andrew suddenly switched modes. His voice had gained an instant calm to it though I doubt Darien noticed. He had me securely in his arms and was heading for the stairs.

"I need to go to the medical wing." I whispered shakily thus stopping Darien in his tracks. "I want a morning after pill." I could hardly say the words and after I had I wanted to cry again. My request had completely tensed Darien's body. He felt like a statue.

"What? Darien? What?" I heard Andrew asking with alarm. "Something wrong?"

"Medical wing it is then." Darien nodded calmly despite his rage. I wasn't totally sure why he seemed so angry right now but at the same time I couldn't concentrate on him. I could only concentrate on what had just happened to me.

* * *

Darien walked down the hall with his precious cargo safely in his arms. He ignored the looks of others as he passed because he didn't care what they thought. He was busy with his own thoughts. What would she do now? She'd never trust another male again. Not after that, not after Diamond came after her again and Andrew had failed to protect her.

He felt the weight of the situation beginning to pull at his rationality, he wanted to kill Diamond. Then there was the small fact that he'd attacked her and hadn't even bothered with protection. The bastard deserved everything the universe could shovel at him and then some.

Coming upon the medical office he walked in and looked at the reception nurse. Walking past her desk he continued towards the exam rooms even after she followed him with strong protest. "Look, go and get your attending physician. I'm not playing games here." He could hear the danger in his tone and he meant it. He was in no mood to sugar coat anything for lesser minds.

He set Serena down on an exam table only to have her latch onto his arm with shaky hands. "Don't leave me." Her watering cerulean eyes broke his heart. How could anyone do what that monster did?

"I'm not going anywhere." He reassured her and held her hand securely in his. He meant it too. He wasn't going anywhere without her. She seemed to see the resolve in his eyes and nodded.

"What is the meaning of this unorthodox intrude into my office?" A man burst into the room sending the frightened woman back into Darien's arms. "You've upset my staff, shaken the patients, and now you're acting scared?" He snapped nastily and crossed his arms.

"This woman's been raped for the second time and she needs a morning after pill. That's all. It's simple, even a child could give her that." Darien challenged the man in front of him.

"I don't have any." The man stated flatly and stared into Darien's angry eyes.

"How could you not?" Darien hissed angrily.

"I'm not a believer in such pharmaceuticals. I don't have any." The doctor shook his head and looked at the cowering blonde.

"You must be joking! How can you be working on a cruise like this and not have them? Seems like it would be in every first aid kit onboard!" Darien shouted angrily. "Whether or not you believe in them is irrelevant. It's what's in the best interest of the patient. You know that! It's part of your oath!"

"Sir, it's my operation and I run it how I like. Now, as for your claim of her being raped a second time. I'm not sure I believe it. I haven't seen her before." The man narrowed his eyes.

Darien glared at the supposed doctor and felt his blood boiling. He was in no mood to hash it out with another person. "I'm also a doctor. She didn't want to come here last time. This time she needs a morning after pill. So, you're honestly telling me you don't have any?"

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear." A nurse came into the room with a kind smile. "I have some." The doctor shot her a look of pure disgust as she produced the individually wrapped packet. "Since you're a doctor I need not tell you the possible side effects. Good luck and I'm sorry." She nodded and waited for Darien to take the packet and pick the petite blonde up again. He was thankful for the nurse and her kindness. Walking out of the office he held Serena a little tighter. Taking that pill would wreak havoc on her body and at the same time, she more than likely needed it.


	12. The Satisfaction of Being Wrong

I sure hope you like this one. I liked writing it. Sorry for the long wait. ENJOY and REVIEW!

* * *

12

The Satisfaction of Being Wrong

Darien hardly left my sight for the next two days which I was overly thankful for. The morning after pill's side effects hit me hard and I was so happy to have a doctor by my side. In addition to the pills side effects I was sorer than before (rightfully so) and Darien had once again given me a quick visual exam. When he looked at me this time he didn't utter a sound. That in and of itself terrified me but I wasn't going to read too far into it.

His diagnosis was similar to the first he'd given me. I was fine, lots of rest was what I needed to recover. I didn't dare tell him about the mental angst I was going through. He wouldn't understand anyhow. How could he know how I felt? How utterly disgraced and ashamed. Not to mention how terrified I was. Not only of Diamond, but of relationships in general. Despite Darien's amazing supportive attitude I was terrified of any sort of romantic relationship with him. I could see the love in his eyes, love that existed only for me but romantic relationships were established for one reason only and I was through with that one reason.

I felt like I was quickly losing myself. As if my sanity was flying out the window. I wasn't moving on from what Diamond had done or had planned to do. I shook slightly as I remembered him reaching for the knife. I wish he'd killed me, it would have been humane to end my suffering. Instead here I was, laying in Darien's bed hugging a pillow to me. You'd damn well bet I was pathetic as all hell. I was so pathetic it was sad!

"Serena." Darien spoke softly as he sat on the bed behind me. I felt him lean over my body as he placed a hand in front of me and looked down. "I think we need to talk." He sighed and I felt his other hand rub over my arm. "Serena?"

"I'm listening." I replied softly. I didn't want to look at him because I knew that whatever he had to say would be directly related to sex. It was either going to be about what Diamond had done, or what he was hoping would eventually happen between us.

"I prefer to talk to another person face to face. I want eye contact meatball head." He remained soft toned but I could hear the seriousness in those words. I finally sighed and turned towards him, my eyes connecting with his easily. "I want you to know that you're safe now because I will never let anyone harm you again. I know you've been thinking about London and I've been selfishly trying to keep you near me but I want you to know that if you choose to go there, I will follow you. I meant it when I said I wasn't going to leave you again."

"Why would you do that? I can't give you what you want." I cried suddenly, my heightened emotions playing havoc on me. I didn't want to be crying like a baby but I was.

"I don't want much and frankly, you're the only one who can give me what I want. I only want to be with you." He smiled genuinely as a small blush crept onto his face. Imagine that, I made Darien Shields blush.

"That's what I mean. I can't do that… not now." I looked away from him and closed my eyes. "A big part of being with someone romantically is that you're with them physically and I just, can't. I'm sorry." I felt him lean over me even more and jumped a little when his lips touched mine gently. The contact made my heart race which caused me to jerk away from him.

"That's fine Serena. I can do without that particular life experience. We men have been perfecting celibacy for many years now." The coy smile that graced his face made me want to laugh. What was the world coming to where such a good-looking man would forego sex? "You know, it's usually women who demand regular maintenance in that area."

"You're such a liar! Every guy on this ship has been chasing tail like there's no tomorrow. The women aren't doing a thing!" I growled. "Sure, there are the occasional sluts who just can't seem to hold it together but overall we are not the ones who need sex."

"Do you really believe that?" He quirked an eyebrow and smirked at me. "Fine, I'll draw an example for you. Why is it that so many women make it their business to entice men? Take Mina and Raye for example. Both of them try their damnedest to attract men. They dress up, shake their hips a little, I've seen Raye become a sultry prowess before. Why do you think they do it?"

He had me there. I had always thought Mina and Raye were playing some sort of game. Could it honestly be because they needed sex?

"I'm sure one day you'll see. If you do decide to never have sex again that's fine. I just hope you'll do it with me beside you." I looked at him as if he were crazy. He didn't mean that. Well, maybe he did right now but he'd soon change his mind.

"I don't know. Having you around could cause me some problems." I returned my eyes to his and saw the deep midnight blue lighten a little. "I mean, all my friends seem to just love you." I rolled my eyes. Then I mentally slapped myself. Suddenly Darien's words made sense. After all these years I finally knew why all my friends were so starry eyed around him. I understood why they wanted to tear his clothes off and use his body as a personal theme park. They were completely sex programed.

As I analyzed that thought further I began to look at myself. I had always found him attractive. My heart had always pitter pattered around him and I felt drawn to him. It was like pull in my gut, a fluttering that had always been there and the closer I got to him the stronger it always felt and at the same time, it was addicting.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I would someday want physical love, maybe even need it! As I continued to think I remembered back to the way I felt with him on the dance floor. I had been contemplating pulling him off the dance floor and into my room! Then again in the pool the next day. He was right. How had I forgotten those feelings? They had been so strong! I had wanted him, I had yet to experience anything but I had felt the need to entwine my body with his.

Remembering those feelings made me suddenly uneasy. How did those feelings fit into what Diamond had done? There had been no pleasure in that, nothing compared to how I had anticipated feeling when I felt those urges for Darien.

As if a pail of water had been thrown on me, I looked at Darien in a new light. My experience with Diamond had been so horrible because I didn't want Diamond. I held no interest for that man. Darien on the other hand… well, he was a different story.

Darien had been watching me think I could see it in the way his eyes darkened with worry. He was concerned. Not just about my thoughts but obviously about my proposed future. I couldn't let Diamond win so easily. I had to at least see if I was still attracted to Darien right? So, I did the only thing I could think of. I kissed him.

I'm sure I shocked the hell out of the poor man as I grabbed his shirt collar and practically yanked him down on top of me. I pressed my lips to his for all I was worth and after the shock had worn off I felt his body loosen and his lips conformed to mine readily.

Wrapping my arms around him I opened my lips a little and touched my tongue to his lips. The electricity that shot down my spine as he seemed to attack my mouth with his own tongue made me shiver. I had definitely been wrong. He, once again right. Damn him for that!

We continued kissing until he finally removed his lips from mine and hovered above me with an incredulous smile. "Changed your mind fairly quickly didn't you?" He mused then sat up and shook his head. "A happy as I am about your new thoughts, allow me to make one thing perfectly clear. I will not be the guy who takes advantage of an emotionally fragile woman." His tone was serious as were his eyes. He was clearly letting me know that he would ensure I was healed before anything happened between us. I was both thankful and annoyed by that.

On the one hand he was trying to protect me but on the other he was insinuating that I was too emotional to think clearly. I didn't really want to dwell on it too much though. I blushed slightly as I watched him look at me carefully with twinkling eyes. He wanted me, I could tell.

"Darien… will you um… will you sleep up here tonight and not on the couch? I could use the comfort." I asked in an attempt to change the subject currently racing through both of our minds. "No funny business. I swear." I held up my hands to show how serious I was.

"Sure thing Meatball Head." He nodded and I worked to maneuver myself so I could sit up. I was surprised by how little effort it took for me to do so. The pain had subsided greatly in the past two days. This new development made me hopeful. Maybe I wasn't broken. I was still attracted to a man and I could now move a little more freely. Things were looking up!

* * *

Darien stayed with me through the next few nights making me oddly aware of the urges coursing through my body. I had truly been stupid to think I would never want or need sex. It was definitely engrained in me in some strange way.

I turned so I could study his face and smiled. He looked so peaceful sleeping there. I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to be with him first. Would it have been a good experience or not? I wasn't sure.

"Staring is rude you know?" He said playfully without opening his eyes. I smiled and waited for him to open those midnight depths. When he finally did he smiled at the same time and propped himself up onto an elbow. "You actually slept last night. I'm impressed."

"It helps that you were next to me." I nodded and stared into those eyes. Oh how I could lose myself in him. How I wanted to lose myself.

Tossing the thought aside, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. "I'm going to try it today." I laughed and stood up. My strength had returned and though I was a little achy I wasn't in pain. "I'm standing! Darien I'm pain free!" I turned around and saw him smiling at me happily. "I'm ready to venture out of the room." I announced and began to head towards the stairs. Darien was quickly behind me, ready to catch me if I fell. "I'm so excited, I'm going to go to my room first and show Amy how much better I am!" I was excited and as I hurried to go down the stairs Darien stopped me.

"Serena, don't you think you ought to change out of your PJ's?" He was laughing at me but I didn't care. I was just happy to be able to walk again.

"Oh, right." I laughed and turned to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. Tossing them on the bed I pulled my shirt off and grabbed my bra and began to put it on. That's when a strange feeling came over me and I turned to see Darien gazing at me intensely. Those deep blue orbs had darkened and it definitely made my skin tingle. "Darien?" I turned to him and noticed his eyes darken even further. Stepping close to him I looked into his eyes with a smile. "Hey?" I reached one hand up and caressed the side of his face.

He leaned into my hand a little and I couldn't help but pull him to me. His lips easily connected with mine causing electrical signals to travel up and down my spine. I boldly pushed my tongue into his mouth and deepened the kiss as his arms moved around me. Soon he was embracing me with one hand on my upper back and the other on the small of my lower back. My hands had moved into his ebony mane and I was trying to bring him closer to me like a rabid dog. I FELT like a rabid dog. I wanted to be closer to him, to breath him, hell, I wanted to eat the flesh off of his bones! The last part bothered me a little but at the same time kissing and biting weren't that different from one another.

Moving my hands away from his hair I moved them up his shirt and pressed my palms against the wonderful washboard abs he had. The feel of his skin was addicting and I found myself almost digging my nails into him.

He suddenly broke the kiss and pulled his shirt off before I could blink then reconnected powerfully. His hands slid down to my ass and grasp it firmly before his lips moved from my lips to my neck. The moment he did that I threw my head back and clawed at his forearm. This was the most amazing thing I had ever felt in my life and he was only kissing me! I could hardly breath, especially when he lifted me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing myself to him as best I could and groaned as he sat me on the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees in front of me.

His lips continued down to my shoulder and clavicle nipping at my skin as he went. It was driving me crazy and as I tightened my legs around him I could feel his excitement against me, separated from me by only a few layers of cloth.

Knowing this sent a concentration of heat to my private area and my legs squeezed him tighter as if they had minds of their own. He grunted a little and I suddenly felt my bra unclasp. In moments he moved away and discarded the object before brining one hand up to knead my right breast. His lips then wrapped around my left nipple which took the breath right out of my lungs.

I couldn't think, I couldn't breath, and frankly, I didn't want to! What he was doing to me in that instant was heaven and hell. It felt wonderful but somehow wasn't enough. I wanted more, NEEDED more! "Darien…" I breathed and pulled his lips back to mine. The man who had been so very cautious only a few nights ago seemed to be gone, in his place was an exciting creature that seemed wild. I liked it.

"Darien… I…" I struggled to say anything as we continued to kiss and he went back to suckling my neck. "Dare… please?" I wasn't entirely sure what I was asking for but the plea seemed to stop him in his tracks. He just froze then slowly leaned back a little and looked into my eyes. The darkness was still there but had lightened considerably. There was a question in them that I wanted to squash and yet I didn't know how to. Not really. "I um… I…" I stuttered and noticed his eyes lightening. "I want you." I whispered breathily and saw his eyes darken again. It was scary to see how quickly lust overtook him but I didn't care. "Actually, I need you." I added.

"You're sure?" He finally breathed, his voice hoarse and a little dazed.

"Yes. I'm sure." I nodded and gasp as his lips attacked mine again. He leaned into me causing me to fall back and onto the bed. As my back connected with the bed I felt a little nervous suddenly but pushed the feeling aside. There was no reason to be nervous.

Darien then began to kiss his way down my body, moving along my neck to my clavicle, then to my breasts, then further until he reached below my belly button and moved his fingers under the waistband of my shorts and panties. As he began to lower them, there was a knock at the door. We both froze and looked towards the railing.

"Darien! Hey! Open up! I brought breakfast!" Andrew's muffled voice was just barely heard. "Dare?" He knocked again.

Darien jumped up and threw his shirt on then smoothed out his hair quickly and went down stairs. I heard him open the door and let Andrew in. "Took you long enough to get to the door." Andrew laughed then was hushed. "Sorry, she sleeping?"

"Yeah." I heard the fridge open and close. "She was feeling better last night though. Thought she might go out and about when she woke."

"Ah, well, I'll just go then." Andrew said casually then I Heard the door open and close. Darien then rushed up the stairs and pulled his shirt off.

"Where were we?" He grinned evilly and stepped towards the bed. I simply giggled as he reached for my shorts again and pulled them off. Discarding them he dropped to his knees again and kissed my private area. I held my breath until I felt his tongue on me, at that point I yelped a little. He continued on, holding my hips to stop me from squirming then began to kiss his way up again. I groaned then gasp as I felt his fingers rub against me. Unlike when Diamond had done it, Darien seemed to do it in just the right way so that when his finger entered me I moaned a little. He went back to kissing my neck as he stroked my insides with his fingers. It was amazing.

Then he removed his fingers and was suddenly between my legs, his pants and boxers had magically disappeared and I could feel him pressing against my entrance. "You're sure?" He asked and reached towards the bedside table. I simply nodded and noticed he'd reached for a condom. Wasn't chasing tail my ass! Then again I didn't care. He was mine right now.

After a moment I felt him enter me and cried out a little. Regardless of being healed it still hurt a little. I held onto his shoulders, my nails digging deep into his skin as he pushed forward. After what seemed like forever he finally stopped, I could feel him in me, filling me, and the pain was subsiding. He was looking at me with an intensity that made me smile. "I love you Meatball head."

"I love you too jerk face." I grinned then threw my head back and cried out as he thrust once. It was mean to say the least! He did it again eliciting another cry. "Darien!" Then another. "Oh God!" He continued, picking up the pace and each time it felt as if he were boring deeper and deeper into me. I loved it. It was an intense feeling, stress and pleasure combined making me feel fuzzy all over. In fact, it felt so amazing I felt my body tensing and I could do nothing but breathe heavily. My eyes refused to stay open as I felt stress building inside of me. Then suddenly the stress I was feeling exploded, traveling through my body like a blast of energy. I know my eyes flew open but I couldn't see and when I finally could I felt a warmth between my legs and Darien had paused, his face held a slight smile to it as he looked down at me. "What?"

"How do you feel?" He smiled and kissed my lips tenderly. "Good I hope?"

"Yeah… I think." I replied breathily. "Why?"

"I do believe you just experienced your first orgasm." He laughed. "Certainly not your last. I'll guarantee it."


	13. Stirring the Pot

So, the beginning of this chapter describes a wonderful massage which I will proudly say my fiancé gives me at least once a week. He's a magician with his hands and he's not a massage person so he's all mine. :D I'm overly grateful to have such a wonderful guy and one who just wants to touch me all the time (Look up love languages. His is touch. The concept will help anyone… and I mean ANYONE who feels like they could improve their relationship).

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13

Stirring the Pot

I couldn't help but feel like I was on cloud nine. After what I had been through Darien had simply erased all of my fears. Now I truly understood why Mina was always chasing men around. The things that they could do were simply insatiable.

I lay in Darien's arms, facing him while looking into those deep blue depths. He was currently staring into my eyes and massaging the base of my skull with one of his strong hands. The sensation of what he was currently doing made me want to purr it felt so wonderful. HE made me feel wonderful.

"Andrew will be back soon. It's almost three." He spoke softly as if I would spook easily.

"Hmmm hmm." I simply mumbled and closed my eyes to enjoy my massage. He chuckled and sat up making me protest the fact that he'd stopped touching me. I looked at him with the most pathetic puppy dog eyes I could muster. "But…"

"Lay on your stomach." He commanded softly and seemed to wait for me to comply. I slowly did so and felt him move my legs apart then sit between them. His hands were then on my back, firmly massaging, the warmth from those hands made it all the more enjoyable.

I groaned and moaned my approval as his hands worked magic on my aching muscles, muscles I didn't know ached until now. He rubbed my neck, shoulders, upper back, middle back, then my lower back. After that he moved his hands to my arm pits and went down my sides. After that he focused on my rear end and massaged that too, I especially liked it when he rubbed the crease underneath my butt. He then continued down my legs and to my feet.

I discovered a few things in this process: 1- I really liked receiving massages. 2- I especially love it when he massages my joints… all of them. And 3- The man has magic hands and, I would let him do anything he wanted to me as long as I got one of his massages.

"Now your front side." He prompted and I quickly rolled over. He started at my shins and worked his way all the way up to my clavicle. I'll tell you, you haven't lived until you get a full body massage from the person you love. "Feel better?" He questioned and moved off of the bed. I nodded and opened my eyes so I could admire his nude body. He certainly was a gorgeous man.

"We need to shower and get moving." He sighed and held out his hand for me to take. "I'm sure they'll be waiting. You can walk right?"

I nodded and tenderly stood on my feet. Besides the throbbing I felt from just having sex with the God standing in front of me, I felt fine. I took his hand and let him lead me into the bathroom where he turned on the shower. We both stepped in and washed ourselves then got out and ready to venture out into the public.

I'll admit, I was feeling very confident as we walked down the hall hand in hand towards the dining room. The girls and guys were sitting together at the table and seemed to be waiting for us.

"There they are! See? Told you he said they'd be out for dinner!" Andrew cried happily as all the girls stood up and rushed to me to hug me. I happily hugged them back then looked towards the buffet line. I hadn't realized I didn't eat until that moment.

"I need food." I said matter of factly and licked my lips making the girls laugh.

"Spoken like our Serena!" Raye cried and ushered me towards the buffet line. "Okay, spill it." She hissed suddenly after we were away from the table. The rest of the girls crowded me as well.

"Spill what?" I asked puzzled as I looked longingly at the buffet. The food looked overly yummy…

"What's up with the hand holding? You two a thing now? What?" She crossed her arms.

"Uh… yeah, we talked and decided that we should give the whole relationship thing a try." I shrugged and looked her straight in the eye. "Is that a problem?"

"Sort of! I mean, what about the lie he told?" She asked impatiently. I could hardly believe my ears. SHE was the one who wanted me to forgive Darien for his little lie.

"No use in talking about this Raye, she already slept with him." Mina smiled at me knowingly.

"That was a lie you blonde bimbo." Lita knocked Mina on the head once and rolled her eyes. "Remember, he lied?"

"He may have lied about that but she slept with him. I can see it in her eyes. No to mention the way he was looking at her." Mina nodded as the other girls pondered the possibility. "Am I right?"

"Yes, I slept with him, now, I want my dinner." I snapped and went to push past the girls.

"When did this happen?" Amy asked with a shocked tone. I could see her trying to figure it out logically. Logically it didn't make sense that I would sleep with him so soon after my experience but was I just supposed to let Diamond consume me when Darien was right there? No.

"A few hours ago." I sighed.

"HOURS AGO?" Raye growled a little too loud. I blushed as people's eyes were drawn to us. "What the hell? I thought you didn't want anything to do with sex and now you're rolling around with him? Not to mention the fact that it's way too soon don't you think?"

"Honestly? No, I don't. I was ready to move on and frankly, I'm done talking about it for now. I'm hungry, now I'm irritated, and I just want my food." I shoved my way past them and to the line where I grabbed my food and went back to the table. Based on the look Andrew was giving Darien I gathered a similar conversation had ensued in my absence.

"Hey boys." I smiled and sat down next to my dark haired lover. He simply gave me a look of annoyance then stood to retrieve his food. Turning my eyes to the men at the table I saw them smirking at me. "Wipe those smirks off your faces or I will be forced to do it for you."

"Well, I'd say I'm surprised; but I'm not." Malachite laughed and grinned from ear to ear. "It was only a matter of time before you two jumped one another."

"It's really none of your business." I snapped nastily. I hated this, did everyone feel it was necessary to concern themselves with my sex-life?

Andrew quickly jumped into the conversation. "Well, it's just that we're shocked you know… after everything that's happened and all. It's a good thing though. Congratulations!" He nodded fiercely and nudged Malachite.

Darien then returned with his plate and looked at me softly. His presence seemed to quiet the table. Everyone was silent, distracted almost, which was nice until Andrew suddenly jumped up from the table. "Go away!" I felt myself tense as I felt a presence behind me. I could just feel Diamond behind me, which, consequently, made me acutely aware of Darien.

"I came over to apologize." Even I could hear the lie in Diamond's voice. "I apologize Serena. Fro everything that I did. I have a problem and I'm going to get help."

At this Darien stood, placing himself between Diamond and I. "If you don't get away from us now you're going to be helped right off the back of this ship." Darien growled.

"Darien is it?" Diamond asked coyly. "Let me suggest you get out of my face. I'm not a patient man, nor am I a man who tolerates threats." I turned to see Darien stand his ground. "You're being a fool right now. You're in public. Attack me now and you'll suffer consequences and you know it."

"Just get away from her. Now." Darien growled and I placed a hand on his arm. He looked down at it then back to Diamond. "Then go."

"I own this ship Darien. I can go where I want. I want to stand here and talk to the woman I treated terribly. Not you. Now, step aside!" I could hear Diamond getting angry and tried to push Darien aside a bit. This was a show to get Darien in trouble. I knew that. On the other hand, I hated the fact that Diamond was right behind me. He had no right to be near me!

"I don't care if you own a fleet of ships! Leave us all alone. You're not welcome." Darien growled dangerously evoking a similar reaction from Diamond. This was quickly turning into something ugly and I couldn't help but be a little afraid for Darien. Diamond had connections, he had the ability to do terrible things without anyone knowing.

"Okay boys. Let's calm down here." I placed myself between them. "Diamond, while I appreciate your apology I simply can't forgive you for what you've done. Darien is right, you're not welcome around me and I hope that you will recognize the error of your ways and leave me alone." I stated firmly despite the angst I was feeling at being close to Diamond.

Diamond then smiled sadistically and shook his head. "Try harder." I didn't like his tone one bit. Leaning back into Darien a bit I tried to distance myself from the white haired man in front of me. "Fine, I'll go, for now."

Diamond walked away leaving me trembling a bit. "If he comes back I'll kill him." Darien sneered and wrapped his arms around me. "I promise you." He murmured and touched his lips to the top of my head as I watched Diamond retreat.

Diamond turned and looked back and I suddenly saw a flash of anger in his eyes. No, more than simple anger. He was furious and I had a suspicion it was because Darien was possessively holding me. Refusing to look away from him I held my ground and smiled a little when Diamond turned away and left the room.

"The second this boat docks were out of here." Darien growled and held me tighter. I could feel how tense he was and felt slightly guilty. "That guy is a real piece of work." Darien murmured and loosened a bit.

"Sure is." Raye pipped up and rolled her eyes. The guy needs to take a hint. Don't you think?" She sighed and rubbed her forehead. We all looked at Raye with incredulous looks.

* * *

"Sooo…" Lita grinned as she leaned as far forward as she could. She was perched on Amy's bed as I packed up my bag. I was going to move into Darien's room. It seemed the safest place to be overall.

"Yeah… so…" Mina giggled and imitated Lita. "Are you going to tell us or are we going to have to make up wild and crazy sex stories?" I could hear the grin in her tone as she asked.

"What do you want me to say?" I retorted indifferently. That caused all the girls to sigh with exasperation. "I had sex with Darien. End of story."

"Oh my… Serena! We need details!" Mina shouted irritably. "I mean come on! All these years we've been drooling over him, you're the one who gets him into bed and we don't get details? How is that fair?" Mina whined childishly and was rewarded with Raye and Lita's nods.

"If you want details then you'll just have to get him into bed yourself." I wasn't going to kiss and tell, despite my want to do just that. I wanted to tell them all about it but something about doing just that seemed wrong. I wasn't entirely sure why.

"Right, because that's going to happen." Raye rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed. "Figures." She then sat up again, her face looking thoughtful. "So, how is he taking this whole Diamond thing?"

"What?" I looked at her with shock. What did she mean how was HE taking it?

"Well, I've spent some time around Darien. Though he's a doctor and sworn to the Hippocratic oath he has a bit of a temper. He also has a few belts in some martial arts and whatever. I would imagine the combination of his knowledge of the human body as well as all his kick ass training he'd be in a murderous rage by now. I mean really." Raye eyes me carefully. "So, how is he taking it?"

"He's not in a murderous rage." I stated a little unsurely. I couldn't tell how he was really taking it I suppose. He was my rock, the one who was there for me, strong, unwavering. Maybe Raye was hinting at something here. Maybe Darien wasn't as okay as he seemed. Maybe he was struggling with this and would do something. It was possible I suppose.

* * *

Andrew watched his friend pace back and forth like a caged lion. Darien was going to break loose of that proverbial cage and when he did Diamond would be the one to pay. Malachite sat a little ways away, his grey eyes following back and forth as well.

"Darien. I understand how you're feeling however…"

"No, you don't." Darien cut the silver haired man off. "You have no idea what I'm feeling Mal so just shut up." The words were harsh, a product of the thoughts and emotions running through the dark man. "His little apology today didn't fool me any. He's testing me. Trying to see where my boundaries are. Mark my words, he comes near her again and I will kill the son of a bitch. I guarantee it."

"What does that accomplish Darien?" Zoicite chimed in. "You'd lose your career, be thrown in prison. Serena would move on. What would you gain?"

"The satisfaction of revenge. What he did is unforgivable." Darien hissed. "He not only hurt her, but he robbed her of a special moment of her life, made her doubt herself, then, he threatened to mutilate her! Working at the hospital I see things like this all the time, and every time I do I always wonder if the prick would be caught. Would he be brought to justice? This time, I know I could make a difference." The man spoke passionately, moving the men in the room.

"You have made a difference. Despite what happened you helped her get over it. You helped her to see that Diamond is just one prick in the world. You've made a difference to her." Andrew offered and sighed when Darien simply shook his head.

"It's not enough though Andrew, simply not enough." Came the response.


	14. Wonderfully Annoying

Okay, here we are, last chapter because I had nowhere else to go with this one. Hey! I started a blog, check it out! **www**(dot)**MoonlightSonata87**(dot)**blogspot**(dot)**com**. Take a look around, make comments. Tell me what you think. I made it for all of you. I'll have story seeds/tips. Behind the scenes, new story teasers, ect. I'm excited about it you should be too! Anywho, please review and tell me what you think!

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14

Wonderfully Annoying

The boat finally docked and Darien quickly ensured his party left the dreaded ship as soon as possible. He was thankful everyone planned to return home rather than stay and explore the area. He didn't want to be anywhere near Diamond and his sphere of influence.

Once on the plane he sat next to me and simply held my hand. He knew I was fighting with myself over what to do. Wondering if I would stay with him or go on to London. I knew what my choice would be.

"Darien." I breathed and looked at his hand. "I… I want to stay with you. I don't think I want to go to London." I suddenly stated out loud so he could hear. He smiled genuinely and nodded his head. He would support me in whatever I decided to do.

"If that's what you want to do, then I support you fully. I just don't want you staying just because of me. I don't want to be the thing that stands in your way Serena. Remember that." He spoke with such sincerity that it scared me. Did he really think I would regret this choice?

I wondered myself if I would regret such a choice but I ultimately decided I would not. I wanted to stay home where my friends were. Sure, moving to London would be a big opportunity but what price would I pay for such a move? The price seemed too high to me. I had everything I needed. Friends, family, a new boyfriend. I had it all. There was no need to run, no need to get away.

"So, when we do get home. Would you honor me by allowing me to take you on a date? A proper one?" Darien asked with confidence. I briefly thought about denying him simply to see his reaction. I would not do that to him however; he had been too wonderful to me to warrant such behavior.

"Perhaps. You will have to risk picking me up at my parents' house. You will be meeting my dad and mom. Is that something you can endure Darien?" I grinned as he chuckled lightly. "Well?"

"Me? I can handle parents all right. The question really should be, can your parents endure me? I am devilishly handsome and charming. Your mother may just fall for me leaving your father heartbroken and alone."

"There's the egotistical asshole I know. I simply knew he was hiding in there somewhere. " I laughed and punched him in the arm as he grinned and ushered me into a waiting cab. He'd wasted no time in procuring rides to the airport and plane tickets for everyone. We all had to reschedule our flights but seeing that our trip had been hell we were thankful he was willing to pay our rescheduling fees.

As I sat next to him on the plane I began to wonder what my new future would look like. Would my parents like him? Would he like them? Where was I going to find work? There were so many things to wonder about. So many unknown factors.

"Will you tell your parents about what happened?" Darien suddenly asked quietly. I blinked as I processed his question. I hadn't thought about it. He seemed to be awaiting an answer. Hell, I was waiting for an answer.

"I… I don't know." I finally breathed and looked out the plane window. The clouds passed under us, their silvery sheen giving me no direction whatsoever. "I don't want to worry them." I shook my head with finality. I wouldn't tell them. There was no need to.

"Then I won't mention it." He nodded in understanding. "Many rape victims don't tell those closest to them." I stared at him for a moment. He looked to be deep in thought. Is that what I was? A victim? Wasn't I somewhat responsible for what had happened to me? I was the one who provoked Diamond after all. I didn't want to be a victim, and I didn't want him thinking I was a victim.

"Look, Darien, what happened happened, that doesn't mean I'm not okay. I'm okay now. You helped me through it and that all there is to it. Okay?" I asked him. His blue eyes looked as though he was trying to burrow into my soul, they were so deep. He finally nodded and laced his fingers with mine. There was something both soothing and upsetting about the way he held my hand. I felt slightly betrayed; he would always see me as a victim, no matter how strong I was.

When the plane finally landed I went to baggage and lugged my bag off of the carousel. The girls were doing the same and together, we parted from the guys and went out to where my parents were undoubtedly waiting. The girls were all looking at me, waiting for me to tell them how to proceed but honestly, I was too tired from everything that had happened. I just wanted to go home, I wanted to lay in my bed, cuddle my kitty, take a bath, hell, I would have liked to hear my brother shouting at his videogame.

When my parents pulled up my mom rushed from the vehicle and grabbed me in the largest hug I could remember her giving me. She almost crushed me. "OHHHHHHH! I've missed you sooooooo much!" She shouted then released me and greeted all of the girls as my dad walked to me. He looked troubled as he took my bag. There was something in his eyes that looked like he'd wilted in some way. I briefly glanced towards Darien, I'm not sure how I knew he was looking at me but he was. Had he told them? Gone behind my back and told them? That son of a bitch!

"Well! I'd love to stay and chat ladies but we must get Serena home. I can see very clearly that she's exhausted. You all have your rides home yes?" My mother asked the girls sternly as they all shook their heads. With that my mother ushered me into the backseat. She scooted in with me and took my hand in hers. "We missed you." Her tone was soft and remorseful. "We also want you to know, if there's anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable…" I looked at her accusingly.

"What does that mean?" I snapped, my nerves were raw from the plane ride but I was beginning to hate this. Why did my parents seem to know what happened?

My mom glanced towards my dad then frowned at me. "We know what happened. Honey, what that man did to you was… terrible and not all men are like that." I felt the blood rise into my face. That no good son of a bitch! He HAD told my parents! One thing was certain, I was going to castrate Darien Shields if it was the last thing I'd do!

"Who told you? Darien? Did he call you?" I snapped angrily and saw my mother stare at me with concern. "Well? Did he?"

"No honey, Raye called us. She was worried, that's all, she thought we needed to know. Were you not going to tell us?" She looked hurt now. Great, just great. Diamond had caused me far too many troubles for one man. "Who's Darien?"

"He's a friend." I sighed and looked out the window. The car grew quiet allowing the tension to grow. I glanced at my father a few times and each time I regretted it. He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white from the strain.

"What sort of friend?" Dad grit through his teeth. I could tell there would be no talking to him in this mood. Then again, it was none of his damn business. Darien was my boyfriend, yeah, that's right! We were actually dating now.

"He's my new boyfriend and the one who took care of me on the ship. He's a doctor you'll be proud to know." I stated casually and gasp as my father pulled to the side of the road suddenly and with a certain violence.

"Let me get this straight, you are raped by a man on this cruise ship, twice, and you STILL think it's a GOOD idea to find a BOYFRIEND?" There it was, my father had finally blown a head gasket. I could actually see the smoke pouring from his ears.

"I was taught to be strong. Or would you rather my rape define me for the rest of my life Daddy?" I wasn't sure where my current mouthy strength was coming from, but something told me that all of my verbal wars with Darien had prepared me for just this. "Just wait until you meet him. You'll love him I'm sure. He's always been charismatic around others." I mumbled in truth.

"I'm sure." Dad growled and focused on the steering wheel. "A doctor? Tell me, did he play doctor after your… assault?" Clever, now we were going to avoid calling it what it was. I'll never understand the need to use euphemism.

"Yes. After I was raped I needed to be examined and Darien was the only one I trusted… that's a statement, trust me. Up until a few weeks ago I hated his guts. He always called me Meatball head and stupid and…"

"He's the one you were always complaining about? I had no idea he was a doctor. I could tell you were hiding your little crush…. That's so sweet!" Mom cooed to me and smiled. I felt my mouth hang open a bit. What was wrong with my parents?

"So, he's an opportunistic asshole!" Dad shouted and turned to me angrily again. "You were rapped and he took the opportunity to do a good evaluation of you to see if he would be interested? Sick." Clearly my father was not operating in the realm of normalcy here.

"No dad, he had made his interest clear before the rape. You don't have to like him okay? You're not in a relationship with him. Just so you know though, he's a doctor, he's smart, he's filthy rich, and I get the strong feeling he would marry me tomorrow if I asked." I stated plainly which made my father take a long pause. Mom was giddily squirming in the front seat. She was excited.

"I'll meet the man. He's not too much older is he?" Dad finally relented.

"No, only a few years. You'll also be happy to know that he beat the guy who did it. Beat him pretty badly." I smirked remembering Diamond's beat-up appearance. I was simply glad Darien hadn't gone too overboard. He certainly could have.

Dad only nodded his response. It was a little annoying but I understood what he was thinking. Why my father had failed to be a worry wart before the trip I'll never know.

"Invite him tonight." Mom clapped loudly and looked at me as if to push my decision her way. "I want to meet this young man immediately."

"Ilene, they just got back from a taxing trip. He does not need to run right over. It's ridiculous." There was a long beat. "Tomorrow." He demanded and glanced at me briefly. Mom nodded furiously making me cross my arms. These two would be the end of me.

In addition, what would Darien think of this? What if he didn't want to jump through the parent hoops. Oh God! I could only imagine Darien turning on his "asshole" mode in front of my parents. That's the last thing I needed.

When we finally made it home I rushed up to my room and grabbed my cellphone. I needed to talk to jerk face immediately. The phone rang once before he picked up. "I just saw you meatball head." He chuckled into the phone.

"I know. My parents are demanding that you come to dinner tomorrow." I just blurted it out unceremoniously. I slapped my own forehead. Nothing like shouting things at him.

"They are, are they?" He mused then grew quiet. "Here I thought I might get away with simply picking you up for our date. Very well though, tell them I'll be there. Six I presume?" He asked simply.

"Yes. Now, put on your parent charming hat mister because I do not want them getting all prissy with me. I must be guaranteed a top-notch performance." I insisted playfully.

"Oh, I think you and I both know that my performance is nothing but top-notch." I blushed as he said those words. Damn him again! "Speechless?"

"Trying to subvert the conversation." I rolled my eyes hoping to dispel my embarrassment. I wondered if he would continue his innuendos during the dinner tomorrow. I simply hoped not. I couldn't handle an evening constantly blushing in front of my parents. Dad would know all too well that Darien did more than "play doctor" with me.

* * *

I was on pins and needles as I watched the clock tick. The second hand never seems to move fast enough when you're waiting. It was a minute to six and I was wondering where Darien was. Why wasn't he there yet? I could see my father wondering the same thing. His eyes would occasionally leave the TV to linger on the clock.

Right when the minute hand clicked into the twelve spot the doorbell rang and my father was up and out of his chair in seconds. I barely had time to stand and he was at the door staring at Darien with his scary dad face on.

"Mr. Tsukino! How very nice to meet you!" Darien greeted and held out his hand for my father. "I'm Darien Shields." Dad took his hand firmly and shook it briefly. I could see his knuckles turning white from his grasp on Darien's hand. Men, they're always in a power struggle. Dad let go and moved aside as mom invaded the entryway. "Mrs. Tsukino, you are every bit as lovely as I imagined." Darien smiled his dashing smile and shook her hand lightly. "Here you are, I made a carrot cake. I hope you don't mind." He produced the dessert with a finesse that impressed me even. I had never seen Darien as he was in this moment.

"Come in, come in!" Mom beckoned and moved into the house, her cheeks slightly blushed from Darien's compliment and manners. I smiled at my boyfriend just before Sammy materialized by me and stepped forward. Sammy had always been my little brother but as he stepped in front of me and took a firm hold of Darien's hand I realized he was no longer my "little" brother. Sammy was clearly in protective mode right now, his shoulders were squared and his jawline tight.

"Sam, Serena's brother." He grunted sternly and eyed Darien. Unlike mom and dad, Sammy appeared immune to Darien's charms.

"Very nice to meet you Sam." Darien replied with a simple tone. Finally he turned to me just as dad clamped a hand on his shoulder and guided him into the living room.

"So, Darien, tell me about yourself." Dad instructed and released him in front of the sole chair in the room. "Sit." Dad added and plopped onto the couch. Darien's eyes shifted to me briefly then back to my father then to Sammy.

"Very well, I'm twenty eight, I'm a doctor at the hospital here in town. I went to Harvard Medical school and obtained my M.D. when I was twenty. I'm an avid reader, I also teach martial arts and self-defense classes." I stared at dad who nodded.

"What about your family? Tell me about them." Dad shot quickly and I gulped. Oh God! What would Darien say? What would dad think?

"I don't have any family. My parents died in a car crash when I was eight. I managed to survive. I was made a ward of the state and moved from orphanage to orphanage until I turned sixteen and got my first job. I rented a room from a friend of mine's family and studied hard. When I turned eighteen I received my inheritance." Darien was very blunt, as if he'd told the story many times.

"I'm so sorry!" My mom suddenly burst out and placed a hand on her bosom. "That's so sad."

"No need to be sorry. Being on my own all these years has taught me to be resourceful. You have to protect yourself, work hard, and respect those who are good to you. Being an orphan allows you to see things that many others do not, you learn so very much about people. For instance, I know that I am being judged at this very moment. I know that the furniture has been arranged strategically so I am isolated and can be evaluated for desperateness." Darien's tone remained even and his face stoic. I felt my heart flutter erratically in my chest as my eyes darted from my father's reddened face to mom's guilty one.

After a few moments of silence Darien huffed a bit then smiled. "I can assure you Mr. Tsukino, I do not take offense to your measures towards me. If I were in your shoes I would be far less gracious to the man who is interested in my daughter. So, let us not be distracted by the pleasantries shall we? I have known your daughter for almost eight years now. We have not always been friendly towards one another but I can assure you sir; I love your daughter, and I would do anything for her. When she was raped by that lunatic it took every ounce of my being not to kill him. I left him in a bloody pile in front of the security office. I won't forgive myself for not injuring him further." The darkness in Darien's eyes was frightening but it made me love him even more.

"Don't you think you're a little old for her?" Sammy drawled simply. I felt my stomach drop. Of course Sammy would bring up our age difference.

"No." Darien stated frankly without explanation. "Anything else uncomfortable we want to get out in the open early on?"

"Yes, how long have you been interested in my daughter?" Dad asked.

"To be honest, since the day I met her." Darien revealed. I was surprised to hear that but there it was. He loved me from the beginning.

"Then why did you reveal yourself to her on this cruise? Why not before?" Mom jumped in.

"Serena and I had a routine going. It's hard to deviate from routine. The cruise paired us in unusual circumstances and It was the perfect opportunity for me to reveal my feelings." Darien answered that far too easily. I was simply shocked at this whole thing.

"Darien." Dad stood. "I'll be honest." There was a pause. "I like you. You're welcome to date my daughter freely with my blessing. I was prepared to throw you out if need be but you have been honest and heartfelt. That is what counts. I thank you for taking care of our daughter in her time of need." Dad shook Darien's hand with a smile. "Sorry about the inquisition but you know how that is."

"Yeah, I know how that is." Darien laughed and shook dad's hand. He then turned to me and opened his arms. "Can I have a hug now that I know I won't be murdered if I touch you?"

"Make no mistake boy, touch my little girl without her permission I will kill you." Dad snapped.

"I can assure you Mr. Tsukino, everything I will ever do will be with her permission." He smiled and pulled me into a hearty hug. I blushed a bit and glared at him. This was clearly the beginning of a wonderful but annoying relationship.

**Hey! don't forget to read my A/N at the top... seriously!**

~The End~


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